Story Time, Kids.

Throughout the novel, O'Brien scatters several anecdotes which introduce the reader to new characters and also illustrate life in Vietnam of the soldiers. Chapter five is an anecdote which demonstrates the emotional fragility of a soldier in times of stress. When Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk try to beat the crap out of each other, it doesn't seem like an extraordinary occurrence. They're young guys. They like to show off and see who's stronger, and a battle over a stolen jackknife doesn't seem too crazy. The emotional stress had and impact on Jensen, though. He basically lost his mind and became paranoid about everything until he "borrowed a pistol, gripped it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his own nose" (60). Lee finds humor in this, but it shows the different effects that a war can have on different people. Everyone reacts in his or her own way.