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Hero's Journey In On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

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Tim O’Brien the narrator and author of the short story “On the Rainy River” sets out on a hero’s journey where he is met with obstacles, crosses thresholds, and returns to his starting point proving that he is an archetypal hero. He is faced initially with being drafted into the Vietnam War, his first obstacle. He then crosses a threshold by escaping this obstacle to run away with the intention of moving to Canada. Then he realizes that he can’t run away from his problems, so the narrator returns home. The narrator faces two main obstacles, in the call to adventure stage of his hero’s journey. At only twenty-one years old the narrator is drafted into War. For him this is an obstacle because he is “too good for this war. Too smart. Too compassionate.” (O’Brien) The …show more content…

By leaving town so suddenly, he shows his disapproval of war and how much he does not want to go. He meets Elroy the owner of the cabins, who leads him to his final decision. Elroy offers the narrator money, shelter, food, work and more until he makes his move. Then the narrator is tempted to jump off the boat that Elroy took him on to reach Canada, he could not do it. This is the stage of temptation and the stage where he has to confront the person who has power over the outcome; himself. O’Brien retells these stages when he says “It struck me then that he must’ve planned it. I’ll never be certain, of course but I think he meant to bring me up against the realities, to guide me across the river and to take me to the edge and to stand a kind of vigil as I chose a life for myself.” Showing the temptation being so close Canada brought upon him, ultimately forces him to choose whether he will flee, or go back home. These are all stages of the hero’s journey, proving that he meets each one which makes him a hero. By O’Brien choosing to stay on the boat, he starts his return

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