Chapter 18

"Good Form"

Quote 1:

"Its time to be blunt [...] I want you to know what I felt. I want you to know why story-thruth is truer sometimes than happening-truth." (page 179)

Analysis:

In this quote we can see that the author starts the passage by pointing out that almost everything said in the book is false, and it can also be inferred that that from now on in the book he will lead you through the roller coaster of emotions that he went through. In this quote we can also see that he differentiates the story-truth and the happening-truth; the story-truth is what is feels like for Tim O'Brien and the happening-truth is what actually happened.

Quote 2:

"There were many bodies, real bodies with real faces, but I was young then and I was afraid to look. And now, twenty years, I'm left with faceless responsibility and faceless grief." (page 180)

Analysis:

Through this  quote we can see how O'Brien is ashamed by civilians' thought that by ignoring the body and face of a person you've killed makes it easier to cope with the fact that you have killed a man. In the contrary to what helps Tim O'Brien cope with his conscience he has to give a face and a body to the person he has killed.

Quote 3:

"What stories can do, I guess, is make things present. 

I look at things I never looked at." (page 180)

Analysis:

One way in which Tim's stories help him, is by making them present, making all the memories he has from his past comeback to him and stick with him. Also by writing his  experiences down it helps him analyze things that he never had the guts to look over, for the fear of 'discovering' things that he overlooked before.