Blog 5 AEE

Flash fiction is a type of fiction where the author is generally limited to less than 1000 words. In this type of fiction, all necessary parts of a story (such as a main character, a problem, and a resolution) are present, but the details which connect and fill in empty spots are left out.
Fatal Light by Richard Currey is a novel made entirely of flash fiction. Some chapters in the book don’t even reach the bottom of the first page. This style of fiction complements stories of the Vietnam well. In psychology there is a term called “flash bulb memory”, which is a brief memory that one remembers very clearly. These memories are generally associated with tragedy or deep-felt emotional distress. The chapters in this book mirror the qualities of flash bulb memories as they are very clear and detailed but they are very short. This creation of a written flashbulb memory illustrates a heavy emotional stress that becomes associated with the war.
The brevity of these chapters also creates a more generalized tone. In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the reader is thoroughly introduced to at least five different characters in the novel. We learn about their backgrounds and their emotions and their families. But because of the flash fiction writing style of Fatal Light; it creates an opposing tone. The main character’s name is never revealed in the story. That has a powerful effect in that we do not relate this story to one personal soldier, but rather all the soldiers that were affected by the Vietnam War. In many books, authors attempt to put a face to the protagonist so that the reader has some emotional tie into the story. Currey takes a different approach in that he creates a face for all soldiers.
The style of writing in Fatal Light creates a very robotic story-line. Especially in the beginning, the short chapters create a sense of monotony. It is as if the main character is kind of going through and accepting his life one step at a time, one chapter at a time. This tone illustrates to the reader that Vietnam soldiers had very little in terms of choices in their lives.