On The Rainy River Theme
"On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien is from a collection of stories published in 1990 called "The Things They Carried." All of these stories are related to the war in Vietnam and can be read as a memoir because the events are all loosely based on O'Brien's experiences. Through O'Brien's story of the Vietnam War, many themes and messages related to moral disorder and personal conflict are explored. The themes of fear and embarrassment and how they can influence your decisions are highlighted. Also, the theme of guilt over the war is conveyed in the story. These themes and messages spoke to me because of my grandfather, Poppi, was a doctor in the Vietnam War. Poppi experienced guilt in the war but also experienced fear from the events that were occurring. Overall, "On the Rainy River" conveyed the themes of fear, guilt, and embarrassment which allowed me to reflect on my grandfather's experience in the Vietnam war.
"On the Rainy River" is narrated by the main character, Tim. Tim starts off by telling the readers that the story he is about
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Although I will most likely never experience what Tim went through, my grandfather did. I feel that listening to my Poppi's stories about the war have allowed me to connect with this story and feel sympathy for Tim. Just like Tim, Poppi was drafted into the war. At the time, my Poppi was married to my grandma, and had two kids. My Poppi was a doctor and had a lot of guilt going to the war and leaving his wife and two young children behind. My Poppi worked tirelessly to get stationed at a naval base in the United States so he could stay with his family. Poppi got stationed with his family in Maryland at Andrew's Airforce Base. As I said before, Tim returned home because he felt guilty about betraying his family and country. Just like him, my Poppi felt guilty about not going to the war when he saw all the terrible
Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: A Literary Analysis
1292 Words | 6 PagesO’Brien presents a variety of stories to present the complexity of war. “On The Rainy River” is a pre-war
On The Rainy River Reader Response
612 Words | 3 PagesReader Response of “On the Rainy River” The short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O 'Brien explains to the audience that all men are influenced to go into war, and that they should hide the fears and emotions that they may have along the journey. Throughout the short story the author explains his journey and opens up about his emotions when he was sent to war. Being the audience of this short story explains to you what every man must go through if they were to be sent to war.
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On The Rainy River Character Analysis
807 Words | 4 PagesHow it was shaped: Tim allowed the draft of the Vietnam war and societal pressures get to the best of him and he slowly tore himself apart, he started off as a confident incorrigible man. His morals later then became corrupted, he gave into the pressures, his self proclaimed Lone Ranger status had been infected and debunked by his end decision of serving in the Vietnam war. Thesis: In the story, On the Rainy River, the author, Tim O’Brien demonstrates that an individual allows societal pressures and expectations to override their core values, morals, and beliefs; peer pressure forces individuals to put their beliefs aside so they can fit in with everyone else. The narrator, Tim O’Brien faces a similar situation when he get’s drafted for the Vietnam War.
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688 Words | 3 PagesHe fought a war in Vietnam that he knew nothing about, all he knew was that, “Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons” (38). He realized that he put his life on the line for a war that is surrounded in controversy and questions. Through reading The Things They Carried, it was easy to feel connected to the characters; to feel their sorrow, confusion, and pain. O’Briens ability to make his readers feel as though they are actually there in the war zones with him is a unique ability that not every author possess.
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1756 Words | 8 PagesI went to the war.” (last paragraph 58) This helps us understand that going to war was not an accomplishment for Tim. He regretted not running away and hated that he went.
Conformity In On The Rainy River 'By Tim O' Brien
839 Words | 4 Pages‘’I was a coward. I went to the war’’ Pg187. In the short story, ‘’On The Rainy River’’ by Tim O’Brien, The protagonist faces a difficult life decision, he did not want to conform to society the way others wanted him to. He wanted to keep his personal beliefs. Tim O’Brien does not want to conform no matter how vital it is that he should.
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845 Words | 4 PagesIn the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the soldiers have to carry a lot of things physically and mentally. One of the biggest things the soldiers have to carry is conflict, but not just between other people, inside of themselves as well. In the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien the author has an internal conflict of whether to go fight in the war in Vietnam or to run away to Canada which he tells through the story “On the Rainy River.” An internal conflict is a conflict inside of a character in a story.
Tim O Brien On The Rainy River Analysis
708 Words | 3 PagesThe short story “On the Rainy River”, by Tim O’Brien is an exploration of how guilt and the pressures of society can shape one’s decision making. O’Brien feels guilty about going to war in Vietnam which contradicts his principles and his dream of becoming a writer. In the story, O’Brien admits, “I was a coward, I went to war” (O’Brien 80); he feared how the people of his community, and the rest of society would view him if he ran away. He feared the external embarrassment he would face if he dodged his draft notice instead of serving in the war; the fear of being judged by society was too unbearable for him to face. During O’Brien’s encounter with Elroy Berdahl, he is influenced to adhere to a decision, however, he chose to conform to the expectations of society.
Jasper Jones Racism Quotes
741 Words | 3 PagesThe Vietnam War is going on in the background of the novel and affects a character called Jeffrey. Jeffrey is a young Vietnamese boy. His family is not welcome in the small town of Corrigan and are abused and bullied. In the novel Jeffrey’s mother gets hot water spilt on her because the ladies husband died in the
On The Rainy River Analysis
1205 Words | 5 PagesIt was not Tim’s sense of nationalist loyalties that caved him; rather, it was helplessness and his reputation that was at risk. Tim O’Brien longed to be that “secret hero” or “Lone Ranger” in order to impress those around him. However, he ends up learning that courage does not come in finite quantities. He finds himself resenting authority, “If you support a war, if you think it’s worth the price, that’s fine, but you have to put your own precious fluids on the line”. No matter how much he may find the law cruel and inhuman, he has is too prideful and decides to comply with the rules.
On The Rainy River Critical Analysis
1184 Words | 5 PagesThis quote from the short story illustrates how Tim felt about leaving for the war. He knew that it was against his beliefs for him to leave. He eventually left for the war, still not believing in what he was fighting for which resulted in Tim losing sight of who he was. He allowed the pressures of society to influence him and morph his character into one resemblant of the popular belief of the time. In the story of The Book Thief, Hans Hubermann experiences a similar situation to Tim.
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