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What Is Pressfield's Point Of View In Gates Of Fire

741 Words3 Pages

Charles Thomas
Dr. Kostopoulos
Greek Book Review

Gates of Fire

The Greek based novel that I chose to read and write about for this book review was Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. Pressfield's inspiring and critically acclaimed novel tells the story about the battle of Thermopylae, which was the bloody battle fought between the Greeks and the Persians in Thermopylae, Greece in 480 BC. Normally a historically significant event like this would be told through a scholarly point of view, however Pressfield decides to put an entertaining twist as he decides to tell the story from the eyes of a young Spartan by the name of Xeones. The main theme that is presented in Gates of Fire is patriotism, which according to Dictonary.com is the “devoted …show more content…

First, and perhaps the most important credential that Pressfield has is that he is a former Marine and in 1966 he was stationed at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina. Pressfield’s military background allows him to write such a novel from a Spartan’s point of view, as he truly knows what it means and what it is like to be soldier. In fact, the book was widely renowned among US soldiers, so much so that it is on the Commandant of the Marine Corp’s reading list, it is taught at West Point (a military academy), Annapolis (a naval academy), and at the Marine Corps Basic School in Quantico. This connection to the military is surprising for Pressfield has he said when left Perris Island, "No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, no one can ever send me back to this freakin' place again." Another credential that enables to Pressfield to write such a spirited novel about war is that he knows the grit and grind of the real world and how to survive when put through hellish situations. Pressfield’s life after the military was not the greatest, as he bounced around from job to job ranging from a tractor trailer driver to picking fruit at Washington state. Although jobs like picking fruit and driving

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