Different Perspectives of War

Throughout history, many wars have been fought all resulting in death and destruction, but two in particular are very important to American literature today. Ernest Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms, a fantastic account of World War I, in which he characterizes Lt. Henry, a young ambulance driver in love during the time of fighting, actually portraying himself during the time of war. His role in the war however gave him very little personal interaction with actual combat himself but a way to observe the soldiers’ lives around him. Tim O’Brien, with his position as a solder in the Viet Nam Conflict, wrote The Things They Carried, an accurate and personal account of his experiences and difficulties throughout the time of battle. Through the general surveillance of Hemingway and the individual eyes of O’Brien, both are able to capture the essence of war with differing perspectives, yet both revealing its corruptive nature on a soldier.
Based on his perspective, Hemingwa...