O'Brien's Motives
O'Brien writes to promote an anti-war sentiment and to demonize America for it's messy war in Vietnam. Or maybe he wants the reader to feel certain emotions that can only be evoked through the telling of 'true' war stories. We'll never know exactly why he writes. He could just like to write fiction or make the money he makes from his work. I personally think that this guy has found a good front for writing a bunch of weird fiction that takes cheap shots at the part of American culture that was trying to achieve victory. That's why this guy gets his ass kissed by the San Francisco Examiner, L.A. Times, Boston Globe, and other left wing outlets. But, I can always be wrong. It's possible that this guy has the best intentions, completely unbiased by politics.It's possible that O'Brien just tries to entertain. Anyway, even if we could ask him about it, the only thing we'd get is the 'truth'.
Interesting take; there certainly could be a politicization in O'Brien, but is a dust-cover book review the best source of revealed intention? I agree with your concluding sentence; I think O'Brien would duck a straight answer in the effort to elucidate you about your expectations of fiction.
ReplyDeleteO'Brien's political stance is reflected in his writing. It could be argued that it's all manufactured to contribute to his fictional 'war dog' persona. But in 'Combat Zone',O'Brien is alot more obvious and careless in expressing himself. Again, there's a possibility that he adjusted his writing to ride the wave of resentment after the war,and sell more books. Still, this is all up in the air and I won't win any National Book Awards in Speculation.
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