Carried.” O’Brien is not afraid to “break the rules” of a classic novel, he is simply determined to leave an impact on his readers. Although O’Brien chooses to conform to the typical convention of characterization, he mainly strays from the norms of narrative structure, chronological order, and point of view to make his novel, “The Things They Carried,” an authentic war story. O’Brien deviates from the traditional conventions of a war story to, not only make the readers believe, but also to make his readers