Tim O'Brien , of course , had many different reasons to write "The Things They Carried ," but one of my opinions is that Tim O'Brien wrote the novel as a set of instructions for all future story tellers. He wrote the novel to tell people "how to tell a true war story ," (O'Brien 64). This title is deceiving because it could be perceived as how to determine the validity of a war story but in my opinion the title is suggesting how to physically tell a true war story. Instructions are given throughout the book , for example , O'Brien states that "you can tell a true war story if it embarrasses you," (O'Brien 66). Searching for the truth in a story cannot embarrass you but telling a story can. The truth behind the novel is irrelevant because the stories are merely there to direct the reader how to physically tell a war story.