Truth?

When it comes to fiction novels, truth usually seems to be one of the last things that I think about. The way Tim O'Brien structures his book, leads the reader to decide what is and isn't the truth. He expresses that some of things you may read may be true, and some may not be true. We are then led to believe that some of things read as the truth have not been the true at all. What a mess. I think this strategy works to his advantage more than anything though. Regardless of the fact that his stories contain fictitious elements, I feel that it doesn't take away from the actual deeper meanings presented. Imagine the story about Kiowa's death. If I were there my adrenaline would be so high it would be hard to know what actually did and did not happen. I think the same goes for many of the soldiers of Vietnam. Adding adrenaline and subtracting fatigue and mental stress could only equate a hard to tell story. I don't really want to know what elements of The Things They Carried are fact and which are fiction. I think thing that's most important about the book is the emotional content. O'Brien created this book in a fashion that gives us a glimpse into the soldier's hearts. The stories surrounding them aren't as important as the effect the war actually created on them. This book shows us that effect, and I find this to be much more important than the element of truth.