Discuss the contrasting literary styles used in James Baldwin's Essay

Discuss the contrasting literary styles used in James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues and Tim O'Brien's The Things They - Essay Example Literary Analysis Paper The stories of James Baldwin and Tim O’Brien have a common element amongst them, mentioned explicitly; the attribute of undergoing struggle. In O’Brien’s book, struggle and hardships can be seen through the eyes of American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War, whereas in Baldwin’s tale, Sonny is seen fighting life and addictions in order to patch his relationships with other people around him as well as himself. ‘The Things They Carried’ is about experiences that the soldiers, led by Tim O’Brien went through, which included tangible as well as intangible important elements. These included emotions and feelings like fear, dread and guilt, as well as the kind of machines and guns which formed an inherent part of their routine lives in the War. ‘Sonny’s Blues’ is about a young heroin addict, set in a post World War era, depicting a great amount of political and economical tension raging in Ameri ca at the time, with respect to culture and the old arts. The book is a story full of symbolism; in this particular tale, O’Brien has marked a very vivid description of all the objects that the various soldiers carry with them.