The Conflict in The Forever War by Dexter Filkins - Book Report/Review Example

 Book review: The forever war Chapter 4 The author of the novel uses the chapter to advance the conflict introduced in the preceding chapters. Continuity is a fundamental aspect of non-fictional writing. With this understanding, the author sustains the developing conflict in the chapter using various literary devices. The elite recruits arrive in an unknown planet where they face myriad problems and casualties arising both from the strange weather and from the use of live ammunition in the intense training that ensues. The conflict is a continuation from the previous chapters in which the author develops an elaborate background to both the story and the characters he uses thereafter. The author uses various literary devices including symbolism among many others. The fictional plot permits the author to express his imagination. Adopting a third person reporting, the author acquires the ability to report intricate features of the plot including the feelings of the characters. The author maintains the use of simple language and an explicitly descriptive language. This way, the author communicates to a wide target audience and sustains the plot the author introduces in prior chapters. The chapter describes the new environment; the author uses various literary features including dialogue among the characters in describing both the new setting and the conflict that ensues because of their arrival in the planet. This implies that the chapter forms a background for successive chapters, which will base their plots on the events transpiring on the planet. Dialogue is a fundamental literary device that does not only enhance the novel’s communication but also encourages interactivity between the audience and the characters. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 succeeds chapter four seamless by adopting and fostering the ideas began in the previous chapters. The time travel to the space has various severe ramifications on the characters who now begin dealing with various psychological and physical disturbance. This introduces and sustains the conflict introduced in the prior chapters. Mandela witnesses as the Taurans wipe out an entire military base that had gone to train since they had mundane weapons and had not anticipated such heated conflicts. The author describes the activities in the chapter chronological and the sustained grammatical simplicity, as is the case with other chapters. Thus far, the author earns the similarity and sequential flow of the plot by tackling various thematic issues without each running into the other. Just as with the preceding chapters, the author maintains an interactive flow in the plot often using such literary devices as vivid description and dialogue among the characters in order to portray the intricate features of the plot. While maintaining the third person reporting strategy, the author communicates feelings and thoughts of the characters thereby validating the flow of the plot. After the development of an effective conflict in the chapter, the author sustains the conflict by first providing adequate background information on the conflicts. Coupled with the description and the dialogues among the characters, the facts of the conflict arise easily as the author reports as experience by the lead characters. However, as an integral chapter in the novel, chapter five further offers background to new conflicts that the author promises to continue to successive chapters. To achieve this, the author uses various sentences that promise and sustain the continuity of the plot in successive chapters. Chapter 6 The chapter heightens the conflict in the entire book, after an active life in the military, Mandela and his lover Marygay Potter return to humanity and to their surprise the difference resulting from the time travel machine is overwhelming. They return to earth after several decades and the new earth offers various challenges as the two find it hard fitting in the new society. The two lovers face numerous challenges as they strive to fit the new social structure. The chapter just as the many other preceding chapters continues and sustains the conflicts introduced in such. The challenges the two face are results of their actions in the previous chapters. The author therefore portrays professionalism in his efficiency in sustaining the story by developing progressive conflicts and presenting such through various literary devices. The author maintains the grammatical simplicity while retaining vivid description of both the characters and the actions in the plot. He provides a vivid description of the new society thereby portraying the contradiction from the earth Mandella had lived in several decades ago before he left for the space. The author describes the new people and their new lifestyle. Overpopulation, which is earth’s major problems, results in myriad of challenges including heightened violence. While depicting the conflict, the author further considers the continuation of the novel and therefore leaves other issues unresolved. This way, he provides background to the successive chapters that promise to resolve such. In retrospect, the author portrays dedication to continuity by ensuring that every chapter is a continuation of the succeeding chapters. The author therefore uses suspense strategically often introducing conflicts and leaving some unresolved promising to resolve such in new chapters. Chapter 7 The chapter opens with a continuation of the conflicts introduced in previous chapters. The challenges the lead characters experience in the new society are overwhelming. Such lead Mandella to reenlist in the military with the hopes of leading a familiar lifestyle. However, the military too is different and the challenges persist. The author maintains the use of such literary devices as vivid description of both the actions and the setting of the plot. Vivid description is strategic in story telling since it helps the audience visualize the actions and the settings the author describes. To improve the effectiveness of the devices, the author employs suspense and dialogue. The two heighten the description in the story as the author expresses his thoughts through the characters. Throughout the book, the author struggles to maintain relevance to his target audience. he addresses the military and changes in the society carefully in order to portray the social and cultural features of the society. At the time of publishing, the American government engaged in wars with countries in the middle east such as Iraq and Afghanistan some of which the author participated in, he therefore oozes experience which he captures in his vivid description of the actions in the various conflicts he addresses in the book. As a military science fiction, the book addresses relevant thematic issues often portraying contemporary features of the American society and the effect of the wars as he had experienced them. The chapter sustains this as he continues his dedication to vivid description and the incorporation of interactivity in the plot through dialogue among other literary features. Chapter 8 With the effective introduction of the conflict in chapter seven, the author therefore introduces chapter eight strategically to succeed chapter seven. The author continues with addressing the suspense at the end of chapter seven. After enlisting in the military, Mandellla faces various challenges being the only heterosexual human in the army. Coping with the new society becomes difficult especially now that he is separated from his lover Marygay who is the only person that reminds him of the previous society (Filkins 221). However, the military offers him familiar environment and through dedication, he rises through the ranks easily. Through the third person reporting, the author succeeds in telling the experiences of the two lead characters; Mandella and Marygay whose experiences are similar despite the separation. The author maintains interactivity using such devices as dialogue and suspense to invoke the attention of the audience. Writing science fiction is challenging. The art requires the author to employ strategic features in order to earn authenticity with his target audience. The author of the novel depicts this feature as he uses effective literary devices in order to communicate effectively to his target audience. The use of dialogue and monologue among other types of discussion among the characters helps develop a background to the challenges that the characters undergo. Through the use appropriate characters, the author manages to describe actions, settings and characters in the entire plot. Conflicts sustains a plot, with an understanding of this, the author develops and resolves various successive conflicts throughout the novel. The strategic development of the conflicts results in the seamless flow of the plot from a chapter to another as is the case with the story. Work cited Filkins, Dexter. The Forever War. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2008. Print. Read More