The Things They Carried | Literary Precedents
Tim O'Brien's work has largely been compared to that of Homer in The Iliad and The Odyssey. While providing both stylistic and thematic differences, O'Brien's work resonates with Homer's epics in its melding of fiction and fantasy. Yet while Homer's work eulogizes the valor of the soldier, O'Brien provides a different view of the American soldier, in which typical myths of valor and perseverance towards a single goal are replaced with the endless hump. The Iliad and The Odyssey portray war as a journey of personal growth, in which each encounter provides the hero...
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