Tim O'Brien grew up in Minnesota and fought in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970. His battalion was sent to the area where the My Lai Massacre had taken place the year before, though he was not aware of this fact at the time. His works have had an impact on contemporary literature by providing a literary account of the war in Vietnam, drawing on his own experiences. His works have also brought together fiction and reality in a manner that he refers to as "story-truth." He believes that "story-truth," or the emotional truth that can come from fictionalizing true events, is often truer than what actually occurred.
The narrator of The Things They Carried is Tim O'Brien, which can increase the reader's sense that the story is accurate in its details about the war. It can also, however, lead the reader to question whether O'Brien's account of the war is biased and more personal than general. In other words, he may just be writing from his own perspective, rather than from a general perspective about the war.
In his story, the soldiers carry necessary items, such as pocket knives, dog tags, Kool-Aid, C rations, and lighters. They also carry unexpected items of personal interest that are remembrances of home, such as photographs of their girlfriends, comic books, and the New Testament. These items are more for psychological comfort than physical necessity. Some soldiers also tote other items to help them cope with the war, including dope. The reader might identify with carrying items of comfort and remembrances of home.
The book is still relevant today, as the United States is fighting wars abroad that ask people to decide whether they believe in our foreign entanglements and whether a sense of duty is by itself compelling enough to make people fight in wars. The book also deals with American misunderstanding of foreign affairs and wars, which is still relevant today.
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