What is the comparison between hollywoods version of war stories and Tim O'brians the things they carried?

Answer 1

Hollywood tends to glamorize war. Even though they show blood and guts at times, there are still scenes where the men joke, kid, listen to music, sleep on an actual bed, etc.
O'Brian's story is written in tedious lists, bogging the reader down. They feel exactly what the soldiers feel. The soldiers carry their necessities as well as the 'extras' and the 'extras' add tons more emotional and psychological weight.
I think that's the biggest difference between the movies and the story - the story is dense and constantly weighed down with the "things", whereas Hollywood only touches on what everyone carried.
Hope that helps!