For a long time, the horrific and breathtaking nature of war stories has caused readers to question their truth. This is especially true in the moving stories told about the Vietnam War. Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried, is one of the first to address the idea of ​​truth in his novel itself. Since O'Brien never confirms the reality of his stories, many readers wonder if the stories he weaves are actually true. O'Brien does not want his audience to delve so deeply into facts and figures. It doesn't matter to him that his stories actually happened. O'Brien's main goal in writing about Vietnam is to share the stories he physically could not tell in a way that saves himself and saves society. He aims to use writing as a means of self-liberation while warning his audience of the horrors of war. Tim O'brien uses his novel to share stories he physically couldn't tell. It was not until years after his return from the war that O'Brien was able to write about his decision to enter the war. He admits that he never told the story “to [his] parents,” to “his brother or sister,” or “even to [his] wife” (O'Brien 37). By “putting the facts on paper,” even years later, O'Brien can “relieve at least some of the pressure on [his] dreams” (37). Since O'brien cannot "find the courage" to talk to others about how he feels, he writes stories that capture his emotional essence in a way that allows him to break free (52). Similarly, when O'brien's daughter Kathleen "asks him if he has ever killed anyone," he finds no other way to respond than "Of course not" (125). Although he wants to “tell her what happened or what he remembers,” he can’t find a way to tell her. According to O'Brien, "this is... middle of paper ... and the psychological change that war can bring about in strong individuals. Through the stories of these characters, O'Brien wants to ensure that his readers do not go to war. Since O'Brien considers himself "a coward" because he "went to war," he tries to protect the rest of society by explaining the effects of his bad decision (72). As a forty-three-year-old author writing about war decades after his experiences, O'Brien cares little whether he tells stories that are only factual. He does not want the reader to care whether the stories he tells actually happened, because he writes only to "try to save lives with [his] stories" (232). His stories may be made up and his stories might be complete lies, but the truth doesn't matter. Most importantly, his stories save lives. They save their own, they save yours and they save that of society..