Tim O'Brien describes the Vietnam War as the most significant event in his life, and it is the subject, directly or indirectly, of most of his work. "The good writer must write beyond his moment," the author proclaimed in an interview. While his novels and memoir mostly concern the war, their thematic scope is timeless. His most-cited influence is Joseph Conrad: both authors address questions about man's capacity for evil and humanity. O'Brien's writing also shows...
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In Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien, one abundantly clear theme is disjunction. Much of the text is fragmented, split up and moving between locations, characters, and time periods. Coupled with what often seems like magical realism, this...
The novel In the Lake of the Woods, written by Tim O’Brien and published in 1994, contains various symbolisms. One of the major symbols is magic. O’Brien advances the idea of magic tricks by discussing its foundations with nonfictional quotes and...
He has dark secrets and regrets. The mystery to solve is not only that of John Wade, but that of the narrator of the story himself. Throughout the novel In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien, the narrator uses the case of John and Kathy as way...
Truth is a universal theme that has been the fascination of people since the dawn of time. It is the underlying, almost primal reason that urges mankind to progress; a noble quest for knowledge, and an uneasiness that the essence of truth will...
