Speigelman Vs. O'Brien

Speigelman's style is distinctive and unique compared to most authors. He presents his father's narrative in a way that is playful and fun, something a child would want to read. However, the story he tells is quite the opposite: despairing and tragically historic. his story telling is to-the-point and very amusing, it is very evident he and his father are the main characters in his stories.

O'Brien on the other hand, is not very up-front about what his messages are and what his intentions are for writing his stories. Because his stories are not illustrated, his words must be and are descriptive. Most of O'Brien's stories take place on the battlefield whereas Speigelman's takes place at home in Poland (so far). Finally, O'Brien does not depict Vietnamese soldiers are enemies whereas Speigelman views Nazis as the main antagonists of his narrative.

Similarly of course, they are authors of war stories, and their purpose is to expose the reality of wars and the consequences of it. Within these stories, both authors also include small doses of humor to temporarily stray the audience away from the harsh realities of war.

Although I find both authors entertaining, I prefer to read O'Brien because his stories are challenging for me to read -- there are so many hidden messages and symbolism. The more times I read his short stories, the more I unveil and discover. With so many characters in The Things They Carried, the stories allow his readers, such as myself, to see the many points of views. While Speigelman only talks about his father's experience after the war. O'Brien has more than one short story, all of which are different from the next. As I read further on in the story, I am hoping to appreciate all that Speigelman has to offer in his first and second books.