This very first quote is constructed in two parts, mainly to convey two different meanings to both the author and the reader of this short story. As what has been said and mentioned in the story by the author himself – of preserving the memories and liveliness of the dead characters, ‘stories can save us’ alludes to Tim O’Brien’s actual mental stability. There is a shift in O’Brien’s take on the war when he experiences his first death just a mere four days into his time in the Vietnam War. “I was brand new to the war. It was my fourth day; I had not yet developed a sense of humor. Right away, as if I had swallowed I felt a moist sickness rise up in my throat” (O’Brien 73). He is also preserving his mental state and trying not to allow the