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Sadness and Tragedy in Antigone and the Things They Carried

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Submitted By dkaiser1
Words 840
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Dani Kaiser
December 3, 2015
3rd period

Sadness and Tragedy in Antigone and The Things They Carried

Tinged with sadness and tragedy, both Antigone by Sophocles and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien show reactions of characters to tragedies. These great moments of sadness in both books reveal the inner traits of many characters. In Antigone, Antigone reacts to her tragic life. In The Things They Carried, supporting character Mary Anne Bell reacts to the tragedy of war. The way the aforementioned characters acted after these events affirms their real identity.

A large part of background needed to understand Antigone can be found in Oedipus Rex. In Antigone, the main character Antigone lives what most would consider a very tragic life. Antigone and her sister are the daughters of Oedipus. Banished from Thebes, Oedipus never got to see his daughters again. Oedipus’ son and Antigone’s brother, Eteocles, takes control of Thebes, and, bitter and angry, his brother Polynices raises an army to march against the city. Both are slain in the ensuing battle.

This is where the story of Antigone picks up. Creon, Oedipus’ brother in law and uncle is now King of Thebes. He issues a decree to give funeral honors to Eteocles, but not Polynices. Creon leaves Polynices out as food for animals. As their sister, Antigone feels obligated to bury both of her brothers, and she does so. Antigone’s criminal actions cause Creon to sentence her to the death penalty. Antigone’s tragedy comes because of her unswerving loyalty to her brother, Polynices, and her determination to give him a proper burial despite the personal danger. Her defiance and disregard of Creon leads to him improsing her alive in a tomb, where she commits suicide.

Antigone reveals that she will stand up for what she believes in: family. She chooses to move forward with the burial even when her sister,

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