Reality in Fiction

Paper Summary:

The writer of this paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the books "Atonement" by Ian McEwan and "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. The writer discusses how each author uses fiction to deal with reality. The paper's author says that reality is the backbone of both of these very different war novels, but contends that they both utilize reality in very different ways. Briony, the central character in "Atonement", retreats from the reality of what she thinks she has seen and creates an alternate fictional reality that blends her Cinderella dreams with reality. O'Brien, in his collection of short stories based on his own experiences in Vietnam, reshapes reality with fiction because Vietnam was a horrible experience that cannot be forgotten, and the only way to survive such a horrible experience is to blend reality with fiction so the result is easier to accept.

From the Paper:

"From an early age, Briony has showed an interest in writing, and even at 13, she understands many of the elements of fiction, which also help her replace reality with fiction in the very real story of Robbie and Cecelia. McEwan writes, "A crisis in a heroine's life could be made to coincide with hailstones, gales and thunder, whereas nuptials were generally blessed with good light and soft breezes" (McEwan 7). Thus, there has always seemed to be an element of unreality in Briony's life, so it would be natural for her to blend reality with fiction to create the most important story of her life. A literary critic writes, "McEwan debates fiction and fact in this historical panorama covering six decades of the twentieth century. Beginning in prewar Britain and concluding with the millennium, Atonement is a study of before and after, cause and effect, crime and punishment" (Stovel 114). Indeed, it is a novel of atonement, and so, it may have more in common with O'Brien's novel than might appear at first glance."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Calloway, Catherine. "How to Tell a True War Story: Metafiction in the Things They Carried." Critique 36.4 (1995): 249-257.
• McEwan, Ian. Atonement. New York: Doubleday, 2001.
• O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
• Stovel, Nora Foster. "Ian McEwan: Atonement." International Fiction Review 31.1-2 (2004): 114+.

More papers on Reality in Fiction:

• Comparison Essay # 5516 : "The Portrayal of Human Reality in Fiction"
• Poem Review # 120617 : "Reality in "Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction"
• Analytical Essay # 60309 : "Interpretations of Reality in Literature and Film"

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