In Tim O'Brien's "On the Rainy River," the narrator is faced with a difficult moral dilemma during the Vietnam War. As a young man, he is drafted into the military and is expected to serve his country. However, the narrator is torn between his duty to serve and his opposition to the war. He is troubled by the thought of possibly causing harm to innocent people and wonders if it is truly right for him to fight in a war that he does not believe in.
The story begins with the narrator, Tim O'Brien, recounting his experience at the draft board office. As he waits to be called, he contemplates running away to Canada to avoid being drafted. When he is finally called, he is given the option to go to war or be imprisoned for draft evasion. Feeling trapped and unsure of what to do, the narrator decides to go to war and do his duty as a citizen.
As he prepares to leave for Vietnam, the narrator visits his friend, Elroy Berdahl, who owns a resort on the Rainy River near the Canadian border. Berdahl offers to help the narrator escape to Canada, but the narrator is unsure if he can go through with it. He is torn between his sense of duty and his moral opposition to the war. He wonders if he is a coward for even considering the idea of running away, and he feels guilty for potentially abandoning his fellow soldiers.
Throughout the story, the narrator grapples with his conscience and the weight of his decision. He is plagued by doubts and fears, and he struggles to find a way to reconcile his duty to his country with his personal beliefs. Eventually, he decides to stay and serve in Vietnam, but the experience leaves a lasting impact on him.
Overall, "On the Rainy River" is a poignant and thought-provoking story that touches on the complexities of war and the moral dilemmas that soldiers face. It serves as a reminder of the difficult choices that individuals must make in times of conflict, and the consequences that can come with those choices.
What does the river symbolize in on the Rainy River?
Should this have to be the case? Even though O'Brien believes he's doing the "right thing" — which would be fleeing the States and not fighting in a war he despised — he can't shake the shame that he would bring to himself and his family for what they would see as his lack of bravery, patriotism, and courage. Something he struggles to live with. I remember a sound in my head. While there, Tim is continuously haunted with the idea of being shamed upon by his family and how he will become the talk of the town. Even now, I'll admit, the story makes me squirm. At home, he showered, packed a suitcase, and scribbled a note down for his parents. There he meets Elroy Berdahl who saves his life.
The Things They Carried On the Rainy River Summary & Analysis
Just as this story questions our ideas of right and wrong, it also purposefully blurs the line between truth and fiction. Then he was home. Young, yes, and politically naive, but even so the American war in Vietnam seemed to me wrong. His life is made up when he travels to the Rainy River and meets the man that saved his life. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. When the reality is that politicians decided to go to war and young men were drafted against their will and had their lives altered permanently.
On the Rainy blog.sigma-systems.com
The formalist analysis of this text truly shines light upon the power of fear, the danger of pride, and the vulnerability of humans when fear and pride are combined. Tim O'Brien is now a visiting professor and endowed chair at Texas State University - San Marcos formerly Southwest Texas State University where he teaches in the Creative Writing Program. He knew the risks and still went. It was my view then, and still is, that make war without knowing why. A war that nobody could tell what the war is for. That is a rare and beautiful thing: for a person to meet you during a time when you are going through a personal crisis, recognize that you are in such a state, and then asking you no questions welcoming you in, helping you out, all in a cool calm luxuriously freeing nonjudgemental silence.
“On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien analysis: [Essay Example], 595 words GradesFixer
Knowledge, of course, is always imperfect, but it seemed to me that when a nation goes to war it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and. He also serves as a reminder of what a hero can look like to Tim, a quiet but strong man who allows others to make important choices for themselves. The feeling of being in Canadian waters was described by the author as an existence of a parallel reality where there was no war, where everything was different. He's convinced the war is wrong, but he has to admit that it all seems so abstract. Not a night goes by that the conflict doesn't make the news, yet it's hard to make sense of events going on half a world away. My favorite part though was when the lodge keeper without asking any questions let the narrator stay for six days. There, he stays at the Tip Top Lodge with Elroy for six days, where they bond and Tim is able to find himself.
On the Rainy River by Tim O'Brien
O'Brien looks for a place to lie low for a couple of days and settles on the Tip Top Lodge. Eventually, Tim left the resort, he followed his fate. America was divided on these and a thousand other issues, and the debate had spilled out across the floor of the United States Senate and into the streets, and smart men in pinstripes could not agree on even the most fundamental matters of public policy. Feeling what he describes as a physical rupture in his chest, he leaves work suddenly, drives home, and writes a vague note to his family. This helps his emotions stand out and be known Things They Carried Guilt 1093 Words 5 Pages Imagine being drafted to move thousands of miles away from the life you love to fight a war you hated. He helped Tim make his decision whether to go to the war or not. Tim winds up in a motel on the banks of the Rainy River, which separates Minnesota from Canada.
Judgement In On The Rainy River
Indeed, as the story ends, he's plagued by feelings of cowardice, even though he's decided to enlist. We know that the real Tim O'Brien fought in Vietnam, and 'On the Rainy River' is written in the first person. The reader must grapple with the choices - and their possible consequences - just as Tim must. So, by now you've probably noticed that the main character's name is Tim - and that the author's name is Tim O'Brien. Will he have to kill others? Once he receives the draft notice, Tim begins to feel like one of those pieces of meat.
