Novelist Tim O’Brian one time said “A prevarication. sometimes. can be truer than the truth. which is why fiction gets written. ” In his novel The Things They Carried. O’Brian argues that “story-truth is sometimes truer than happening-truth” ( 171 ) . O’Brian opposes the thought of absolute truth. and believes that all truths are capable to alter. He believes that a fictional narrative can be more true than an existent event. However. a narrative. no affair what narrative. can non be more true than an existent event ; a “story version” of an event is simply a shadow of that event—a make-up-caked. dramatized. Hollywood shadow.
It is impossible for “story-truth” to be truer than “happening-truth. ” In The Things They Carried O’Brian creates a girl. Kathleen. for the fictional version of himself. O’Brian. nevertheless. does non hold a girl in existent life. While it may be a “story-truth” that Tim O’Brian had a girl. it will ne’er be a “happening-truth. ” A made-up girl will ne’er be more existent than O’Brian’s existent boy. In the novel. O’Brian “return [ s ] with [ his ] girl to Vietnam” where he buries a belonging of a fellow soldier ( 173 ) .
This narrative can ne’er be more true than an existent event entirely because of the engagement of a fictional character. A adult male can state a narrative about his last trip to the food market shop. and most people would number it as true. However. if the adult male told a narrative about traveling to the food market shop with a charming jinni. it would be assumed that he is lying. even if every other aspect of his narrative was credible. This is no different than O’Brian weaving a fictional character in to his novel. The “story-truth” of Kathleen can ne’er be more true than “happening-truth.
” Furthermore. in a offense probe. it is illegal to interfere with grounds involved with a instance. Any break or corruptness of grounds is termed “falsifying grounds. ” This is a serious offense because it could earnestly upset the procedure of work outing a offense. Devoid of sound grounds. it is hard to find how a offense was committed. Evidence is an illustration of “happening-truth ; ” it conveys without any prejudice. precisely what happened at the scene of a offense. or at the events taking up to a offense.
Research workers can non work out a offense based entirely off of “story-truth. ” such as the testimonies of informants. because of the legion single histories of a offense which are capable to dishonesty. human mistake. and bias. Therefore. research workers rely on “happening-truth” because it is trusty. whereas “story-truth” is inconsistent. Furthermore. the popular movie The Titanic is spliting with illustrations of “happening-truth” and “story-truth. ” Director. James Cameron. designed many of these “story-truths” to supply an increased dramatic tone in the movie.
He created a expansive stairway on the ship while in world this stairway was so little riders had to travel up and down individual file. A Pablo Picasso picture is featured in the movie. although Picasso was non popular during the clip of the Titanic. and his work was non widely distributed. The diamond necklace in the movie. titled “The Heart of the Ocean. ” ne’er existed. much like the love narrative between invented riders Rose Bukater and James Dawson. These creative activities served Cameron’s intent to paint a theatrical relation of the event. but the film was merely that—theatrical.
Although these “story-truths” indicate the sinking of the Titanic was a romantic event. it is the “happening-truths” that send icinesss through the viewers’ astonished organic structures. The most powerful facet of the movie The Titanic is non the love narrative. It is non the expansive stairway. or the epicurean dining room. It is non the interaction between characters. or the excessive “Heart of the Ocean. ” The most powerful facet of The Titanic is that it really happened. At the terminal of the movie. there were 1. 502 dead organic structures droping and in the freeze salt H2O of the Atlantic.
No “story-truth. ” no affair how elaborate. could make a greater calamity than a “happening-truth. ” Why non? Since “story-truths” are non every bit true as “happening-truths. ” Therefore. the impression that a narrative could peal truer than an existent event is in the incorrect. A prevarication can non uncover a deeper truth ; merely truth can bring out truth. Stories provide an flight for the imaginativeness. They allow the reader to conceive of a different world and to glimpse into an alternate universe. However. narratives are merely narratives. They are non existent. The lone manner the reader can understand a true world is to read a true history of that world.
Although this history may be less dramatic than the “story version” of the world. it is in fact the world. It is the truest truth ; the “happening-truth. ” Works Cited O’Brien. Tim. The Things They Carried: A Work of Fiction. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1990. Print. “Tim O’Brien Quotes. ” Tim O’Brien Quotes ( Author of The Things They Carried ) . N. p. . n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. . “Titanic Facts vs. Titanic Fiction. ” HubPages. N. p. . n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. . “The Titanic Gazette: R. M. S. TITANIC vs. Titanic Movie. ” The Titanic Gazette: R. M. S. TITANIC vs. Titanic Movie. N. p. . n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
