Some do not know the difference between story-truth and happening truth. In Tim O’Brien’s book about the Vietnam War he tells many stories. He starts off by explaining what each man carried, going into the war itself where people are killing other people and soldiers are dying, then talking about a man O’Brien killed, ending with what types of emotion these soldiers brought home with them. Some feel grief, torn, lost, and others simply feel okay. War gives each man a different feeling towards it. I think that is why O’Brien chooses to tell his stories in a different way to show not only how he feels, but how others soldiers feel as well. While writing each story he makes it seem as if everything actually happened, in that order and that
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He admits that it’s finally time to be blunt and to tell the truth. He admits that 22 years ago he watched a man die on a trail near the village My Khe and says that he did not kill them. He explains that he was present and his presence was gilt enough. The author constantly uses repetition emphasizing that he wants to make the readers feel what he felt and to see what he saw. I believe he does this by using story truth rather than happening truth, here is why. “Here is happening-truth. I was once a soldier. There were many bodies, real bodies with real faces, but I was young and I was afraid to look. And now, twenty two years later, I am left with a faceless responsibility and faceless grief” (O’Brien 180). Happening truth is boring and points out facts. It shows more of how he felt rather than what he saw instead of using a little bit of both. “Here is story-truth. He was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay in the center of a red clay trail near the village of My Khe. His jaw was in his throat. His one eye was shut, the other eye was a star shaped hole. I killed him” (O’Brien 180). While reading the happening truth it gives you a feel of the authors emotion and what he felt all in one. The difference between story-truth and happening-truth is that in you make things seem more present than what actually is. The readers don’t actually know whether Tim killed the guy or not, but what we do know is that he was present and what he took with him; burden of responsibility and
He admits that it’s finally time to be blunt and to tell the truth. He admits that 22 years ago he watched a man die on a trail near the village My Khe and says that he did not kill them. He explains that he was present and his presence was gilt enough. The author constantly uses repetition emphasizing that he wants to make the readers feel what he felt and to see what he saw. I believe he does this by using story truth rather than happening truth, here is why. “Here is happening-truth. I was once a soldier. There were many bodies, real bodies with real faces, but I was young and I was afraid to look. And now, twenty two years later, I am left with a faceless responsibility and faceless grief” (O’Brien 180). Happening truth is boring and points out facts. It shows more of how he felt rather than what he saw instead of using a little bit of both. “Here is story-truth. He was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay in the center of a red clay trail near the village of My Khe. His jaw was in his throat. His one eye was shut, the other eye was a star shaped hole. I killed him” (O’Brien 180). While reading the happening truth it gives you a feel of the authors emotion and what he felt all in one. The difference between story-truth and happening-truth is that in you make things seem more present than what actually is. The readers don’t actually know whether Tim killed the guy or not, but what we do know is that he was present and what he took with him; burden of responsibility and