Allusion

As I began reading the chapter On The Rainy River, I hoped to find a literary term quickly. My prayers were answered by the middle of the first paragraph. What is the allusion you may be wondering? It comes after the sentence "Tim O'Brien: a secret hero." The allusion makes perfect sense as an additional name for the author; however, if you grew up in my family you would almost instantly recognize the reference in the name "The Lone Ranger." The Lone Ranger was first a radio show during the Great Depression that later turned into a television show. The Lone Ranger was a masked cowboy who rode his horse around the Wild West defending it from wrongdoings; of course, he had a sidekick too, who was a Native American I think. Odd that I know this, but my grandpa and dad always used to call me and my sisters the Lone Ranger when we were trying to do something by ourselves. Anyway, returning to The Things They Carried. O'Brien wanted to be brave going off to war and create a sense of pride in his parents. Thus, he compared himself to the Lone Ranger, a brave man who saves his world from dangers.