Another important aspect to the story is that it speaks in what the author has termed story-truth. O'Brien makes the case that the stories people tell and retell can sometimes yield a deeper understanding than cold hard facts. In its very structure, "The Things They Carried" mimics the theme of hard facts versus ampler truths about war. The soldiers of Alpha Company carry heavy loads of supplies through the countryside of Vietnam. What they bear is meant to allow them to carry out missions against the enemy and stay alive. In his narrative, O'Brien returns again and again to add more information on the mounting list of things the men carry. He details specific names and functions of weapons, equipment, and personal belongings, citing the weight of each, down to the ounce. But these lists are sprinkled with a tally of the things each man carries in war that are heavy in a different sense: memory, longing, superstition, love, and fear. In addition, O'Brien presents anecdotes that in contrast to the precise and factual lists, demonstrate how individuals really cope in lethal situations and how group dynamics can force soldiers into behaviors that are neither human nor humane.
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