Vonnegut vs. O'Brian

Kurt Vonnegut and Tim O'Brian are similar in the ways that they write their stories. They are both war veterans that write about their past experiences with war. Vonnegut writes “Slaughterhouse-5” in no chronological order with random flashbacks that often interrupt the story. O’Brian uses a similar method in “How to Tell a True War Story.” He writes his story in section that shift from the main story to O’Brian giving his opinion about war stories.

Both authors also write their stories in ways that often confuse the reader. Vonnegut tells “Slaughterhouse-5” from the point of view of a mysterious narrator who is never really explained. It’s difficult to understand why he took this approach and why the narrator is seldom mentioned. In O’Brian’s sections where he gives his opinion on war stories, he says things that contradict his story. For example, in one of these sections he is quoted saying, “In any war story, but especially a true one, it’s difficult to spate what happened from what seemed to happen… The angles of vision are skewed.” This immediately raises the question of if his story is actually true.