Truth

I read the chapter, “Good Form,” in The Things They Carried this weekend. It answered some of my questions but left others still gaping open. I guess I’ll begin by breaking it down into pieces. The first sentence I though was ironic. He said, “Its time to be blunt.” Hadn’t he already been blunt for the last 178 pages? But put that aside and lets move on. I felt a little hurt that he had lied to us all about the event with the soldier he, apparently, didn't kill. But when I read further I at least realized why he lied. As far as I can tell, O’Brien wants us to be able to feel the way he did. And, to a certain extent, I think he does just that. But at the same time, how can we know we feel as he did when he lied about everything?

I also didn't understand how, “the story truth is truer sometimes than the happening-truth.” How can a lie be truer than truth? What can be truer than truth? I guess he’s not talking about truth and lies; he’s talking about two kinds of truth. But how can you subdivide truth? Is there a gray area between truths and lies? Can there be an almost truth? I think those are things we all need to answer before we continue our reading in the book.

On the last page, I became frustrated. If he saw bodies, but didn't look at them, why is he describing them to us? If he really doesn’t know what they looked like, then he’s just pretty much making it up. Sure, this can help him make sense of the things he didn't see, but can’t he just keep that to himself? Why does he have to lead us down that road? Even though I was mostly frustrated, I did understand the last couple sentences. I understand that while he didn't actually kill anyone, just being in the war is almost like killing someone. Moreover, there are different kinds of killing. War can kill people, yet they still have a pulse. They’re ‘alive’ but not really.

So, I suppose, in the end I’m not sure how I feel. I a little hurt, a little angry, and a little sympathetic. At least I understand things a little more, I think, or maybe I’m just even more confused now. Either way, I’m glad he wrote that chapter. But wait…was that chapter honest? What if the whole book is true except that chapter? This crazy thought reminds me of a quote: “Oh what a tangled web we weave.” Right on, Sir Walter.