She is what makes this story a work devoted to telling the truths of war. .
Mary Anne is also described as a "novelty she was good for morale."" (O'Brien 93) She reminds the men of home through her innocence. The whole ideal of innocence is very important to the men because during their stay at Vietnam they feel as if they have all lost most of their virtuousness. "The way she looked made you think about those girls back home how they'll never understand any of this - (O'Brien 119) It is apparent that the men feel as if the girls back home are not capable of understanding what they have seen and how it has changed them. It is then evident that this ideal of the naveté' of the girls is comforting to these men for the reason that the innocence lost in war can be in a way eclipsed by the girls back home who are overflowing with humanity.
So O'Brien feels as if it is important to tell his readers, through Rat's story of course, how the men see Mary Anne. Whether or not Mary Anne even exists should not be of any importance. However, the characteristics and the descriptions given to Mary Anne's character should be of high priority to the reader. O'Brien's story shaped world is created through the details that evoke emotions rather than the details that evoke reliability. Rat's storytelling technique is a perfect example of feeling verses accuracy, or rather feeling over accuracy. .
As mentioned earlier O'Brien is not concerned with the absolute truths of war. My interpretation of absolute truths includes people, places, things, events, and dialogue. What he is mostly interested in is assisting our comprehension of what Vietnam War means and how its meaning directly affected the story O'Brien calls his life. He defends the reliability of Rat's storytelling capabilities by explaining Rat's purpose. "It wasn't a question of deceit. Just the opposite: he wanted to heat up the truth, to make it burn so hot that you would feel exactly what he felt.