Art/O'Brien

  The writings of Maus by art Speigelman and Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried have many similarities and differences in how these two war time stories are told. To start they are taken from two different points of view and the basic way they are told. In O'Brien's book even though it is supposedly his personnel experiences, it has fictional elements and many parts that many stretch the truth to enhance the dramatic effect. He also digresses throughout the book where he tells the stories of other soldiers and their experiences but makes it feels more like a collection of stories than a war biography. In Maus its from a real straight forward biographical view where it gives in detail in a chronological order of a man named Vladek, the authors father, and his experiences leading up to and during World War II and the Holocaust. O'Brien only gives certain stores and distinct memories of the war in Vietnam while Maus is able to produce a much more in depth emotional feel about how someone's whole family and life can be taken apart by war and genocide.  Though they are different types of stories there are similarities like the common view of both about military drafts. In Maus his father explains how his won father made him terribly sick so that he would not have to go into the army and fight, but eventually once called on again he faces his fears and lives up to the terrifying idea of being in war. O'Brien has is own draft difficulties in the story "On the Rainy River" where he forced to make the life changing decision of going to war or not. He, like in maus, makes the decision to finally go and feels proud for the choice he made, but it brings up the idea that draft dodging was nothing new. there is a common theme of fear in these books and its the natural fear of war itself. Whether it was WWII or Vietnam most young men never want to got to war and in both stories both are forced to face war and the effects it has on their lives. Each book is great for telling in depth war stories but for pure entertainment O'Brien's is able to show real war emotion but with the immature humor and feelings to keep it lighter. Maus though is a better story with in depth characters and enough background information and emotion to really connect with the characters and feel the story almost through their eyes.