O'Brien vs. Spiegelman

In Maus, Art Spiegelman portrays his father's accounts in almost entertaining fashion. He employs lively dialogue in a matter-of-fact style of storytelling. In doing so, Spiegelman's does not convey a lot of emotion to the reader. This is not due to the nature of events in the story, rather it is a result of Spiegelman's father, Vladek, who recounts his past with a surprising degree of clarity. It is as if Vladek has become numb over the years to the horrors that he faced. Additionally, Art Spiegelman includes positive tales of his father, such as the story of how he met his wife. It is also interesting that Art Spiegelman conveys his father's flaws, such as his money-driven mindset, in the story. This facet is important in that it shows that Art Spiegelman is not trying to romanticize his father, which would not be surprising given that he is a Holocaust survivor. Tim O' Brien, on the other hand, employs a much less engaging method of storytelling. O'Brien's stories have an almost monotone feel to them, as they are centered more around the negative aspects of war. O'Brien's stories feel bleak, as the reader is brought into the barbaric realm of war. O'Brien conveys a much more serious tone than Spiegelman. While Spiegelman includes positive elements in his writing, O'Brien packs punch after punch of war brutality. I prefer O'Brien's method of writing, I feel that his attention to detail and willingness to expose war in its raw reality is more captivating than Spiegelman's narrative.