I. SubjectGates of Fire is a story about the Spartan way of life and their fight to protect their country. The story is told by a dying Spartan squire named Xeones, who was captured by the Persian army after the Battle of Thermopylae. He is telling the story to the Persian king. The story is set around 480 BC Xeones began the story in a small town where he grew up called Astakos. He tells of how his city was destroyed and how he was welcomed by the Spartans. He eventually became a servant to a young Spartan named Alexandros, who was Dienekes' protégé. Xeones finally became a squire for the Spartan officer Dienekes. Before becoming a squire, Xeones tells of the agoge, which is the thirteen-year training program for young Spartans. He talks about Alexandros and how they became close friends over the years of training. When Xeones becomes Dienekes' squire, all of his duties change and he begins to see more battles. He talks about the many battles he participated in and what they were like. Xeones explains the courage of the Spartans when they were in battle and what the individual soldiers were like. Eventually the Spartans learn that the Persian army was about to conquer all of Greece. Xeones then explains what the Spartans did to prepare for the invasion. The Spartan army sent a group of three hundred highly trained soldiers to Thermopylae to defend the pass until the rest of Greece could prepare their armies. Dienekes was one of the three hundred sent, so Xeones went with him. Xeones explains the battle and how the Spartans fought until the last man was dead. Xeones talks about how he should have been the only survivor so he could tell the story of the Spartans' courage. Because of the S...... middle of the paper ...... is because it is told by Xeones at the beginning of the story. In the end the soldiers know that they will fight against the Persian army, but they do not know that three hundred of them will be responsible for the defeat of the Persian Empire and the salvation of their country.IX. GenreThe main genre of Gates of Fire is historical fiction. Historical fiction “is fiction whose setting is different from that in which it is written” (Harmon 250). Pressfield bases the story directly on events from the past. The Spartans existed and the Battle of Thermopylae actually took place. The Gates of Fire can also be classified as military fiction. The military narrative is “I need a quote for this.” The story is based on the Spartan army. It describes the many different aspects of the military, including training, battles, and the social aspect of the military.