Fields of Fire

What is the author's style in Fields of Fire by James Webb?

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This story is told from the point of view of Hodges, Snake, and Senator. They speak in third person throughout the novel, commenting on their feelings toward each other and each subject, the characters, and development of the people in their story. One knows that these men are bound together as brothers and will stop at nothing to protect one another. Hodges, Snake, and Senator find ways to survive throughout their battles and are sympathetic to the wounded men. They do their best to help the wounded and fight for the non-wounded.

This story is fiction, a work in which one time frame continues throughout the entire story. It begins in 1968 and ends approximately one year later. The last two chapters are the aftermath of the war, and Senator is the lone survivor. His continuation with his schooling at Harvard is touched upon, as is the friendships he once had prior to entering the service. The friends from his pre-Vietnam days are depicted as ignorant and not having the capacity to hold a normal conversation with Senator. This is solely due to what he had undergone during his days in battle. In the end, Senator finds his own way to deal with the pain of what he's gone through.

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