A search; to seek or pursue something; an expedition undertaken in order to perform a prescribed feat: these happen to be some of the descriptions to define a romantic quest. "Oh Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy"" by Tim O'Brien is, in fact, a perfect example of this type of literature which connects the protagonist's thoughts with their present expedition. Private First Class Paul Berlin's feat is to retain his sanity after witnessing a tragic death and, throughout the story, pursues the sea in order to escape the unfortunate memories of the war.

A romantic quest has three major stages intertwined in the story or novel. First, the central character must go through a period of division from where the person is situated or division from the beings with which he or she belongs. Next, the protagonist will be commenced into a group of a certain kind. Lastly...