Marxist Literary Analysis - 1129 Words

Metafiction is a term given to fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality. --Patricia Waugh, Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction.New York: Methuen, 1984. In many respects, Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried concerns the relationship between fiction and the narrator. In this novel, O Brien himself is the main character--he is a Vietnam veteran recounting his experiences during the war, as well as a writer who is examining the mechanics behind writing stories. These two aspects of the novel are juxtaposed to produce a work of literature that comments not only†¦show more content†¦As a collective entity, they are not only an audience to his life, but also serve as reflection of O Brien s life in its entirety. Drawing upon the ability of fiction to preserve life against death, O Brien says that, during wartime, that they were able to [keep] the dead alive with stories (239). To the living, stories were a way to keep the memory of the dead alive, but to the dead, it was the simple act of remembering that kept them alive: That s what a story does. The bodies are animated. You make the dead talk (232). This theme of preservatio n is exemplified by story of Linda, in which O Brien uses the power of storytelling and memory to keep people alive: Stories can save us. I m forty-three years old, and a writer now, and even still, right here, I keep dreaming Linda alive...They re all dead. But in a story, which is a kind of dreaming, the dead sometimes smile and sit up and return to the world. (225). Ultimately, this novel is not about Vietnam--in fact, it is not about war at all. It is about the narrator s attempt to find a place where the erosion of time will have no effect. By working through the threads of this novel, O Brien s intentions become obvious: He is fighting to preserve the physical against deterioration, and by extension, to preserve life by immortalizing it in fiction. He is not writing as a result of neurosis or as a form of therapy; he does this sinceShow MoreRelatedThe Gift Of The Magi1022 Words   |  5 PagesIn discussing Marxist literary criticism Peter Barry states, â€Å"So instead of seeing authors as primarily autonomous ‘inspired’ individuals whose ‘genius’ and creative imagination enables them to bring forth original and time-less works of art, the Marxist sees them as constantly formed by their social contexts in ways which they themselves would usually not admit† (Barry 152). His claim is certainly evident through a careful analysis of O’Henry’s short story. 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