| Abstract | This paper will deal with the ambiguity between the factual, and emotional truth in the works of the American postmodern writer Tim O`Brien. O`Brien, who is a veteran of Vietnam War, is most known for his trilogy, the memoir If I Die in Combat Zone, fictional novel Going After Cacciato, and for his metafiction novel The Things They Carried. In all of his works, including an essay O`Brien wrote in 1994 titled “The Vietnam in Me”, the writer tries to convey an emotional truth that would seem more profound, hurtful, and real in the eyes of the reader than an actual occurrence, a fact for that matter, ever could. He, therefore, alternates between telling outright lies about his own experience, intertwined with what actually happened, in order to make us “feel”. The first part of this paper will present an overview of the US in Vietnam, from the history to psychological repercussions and influence in popular culture. The next part will deal with critical thought on O`Brien`s works, and finally, the third part will analyze three of O`Brien`s works in an attempt to explain and exemplify O`Brien`s writing style and the message he tried to put forth in his works. |
