In “How to Tell a True War Story”, the message that the story creates is that it really isn’t about war. What O’Brien is trying to say it that it never really is in most of the stories that pertain to war, if you think about it. For instance, on page 496, in this story he claims “it wasn’t a war story. It was a love story. It was a ghost story”. He creates this message simply by describing in detail the emotional impact losing your friends can have on a person. When you read or listen to this story, you have to have actually be able to understand the story otherwise you will just be another “dumb cooze”, you know? Then again, it is a pretty complex story.
Asking if the author’s message is effective is a tricky question because it is both a