Stories of MadnessThe hardships of war can change a person to the point of madness. However, one man lived through the dramatic hardships of war and told the stories of his experiences. William Timothy O'Brien, an American author, was born on October 1, 1946. He attended Macalaster College in 1968 for a degree in political science, and then attended Harvard University from 1970 to 1976. He served in the War of Vietnam and was discharged because he was wounded. He received the Purple Heart and became a reporter for the Washington Post from 1971 to 1974 ("Tim O'Brien"). Tim O'Brien's writing career began when he wrote a collection of newspaper and magazine articles titled If I Die in a Combat Zone. He subsequently went on to write novels such as Northern Lights and The Nuclear Age to continue his writing career ("Tim O'Brien"). “How to Tell a True War Story” is the story of a group of infantrymen and their stories about the Vietnam War. It tells of the emotional and physical hardships of the war and how many men in Vietnam faced these hardships. The importance of using literary devices and characters to accentuate a theme makes the reader not only more interested in the story, but more involved in reading the story so that they can imagine what is happening. In his gripping short story "How to Tell a Real War Story", author Tim O'Brien outlines that the theme of the physical and emotional isolation of war can be used to create a war story through the fictional portrayal of Tim O' Brien, and his astute use of verbal irony and point of view. The character, Tim O'Brien, plays a very important role in "How to Tell a True War Story". Here's a quote from Tim O'Brien in the story. "It happened almost twenty years ago, but I... middle of paper ...... the war is faced by other soldiers. Author Tim O'Brien in "How to Tell a True War Story" ” uses the physical and mental mentality of isolation during the Vietnam War to create a story with many literary devices that make it a captivating story. The author uses Tim O'Brien's point of view, verbal irony, and character to enhance his experiences written the Vietnam War This story teaches the reader that the reader's lived experiences can be altered by the mind to some extent, where they can be questioned as true or not, perhaps during a sports game or in a heated situation like a police chase or a court case. Tim O'Brien's experiences have fascinated many readers, but are they true or just the product of war-induced madness? Well, Tim O'Brien lets the reader decide?.