Help with Questions to The Things They Carried: How To Tell a True War Story (pages 67 – 85)

How To Tell a True War Story (pages 67 – 85)

1. According to O’Brien, how do you tell a true war story? What does he mean when he  says that true war stories are never about war? What does he mean when he writes of one  story, “That’s a true story that never happened”?

2. O’Brien says that, “In many cases a true war story cannot be believed…Often the  crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn’t.”  Explain what Tim O’Brien means by  this.

3. What happened to Rat’s friend, Curt Lemmon?  How does Rat deal with the death of  his best friend?

4. O’Brien begins this chapter by saying that this is true. What does he reveal to the  reader at the end of the chapter? What point do you think  he was trying to make by doing  that? How does this affect your attitude towards the narrator?

5. In your opinion, after reading this chapter can you ever really believe any storyteller  who claims his war stories are true?  Explain why or why not.