Summary Of On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien
Have you ever wondered what it was like for a Vietnam Vet? When United States sign a treaty to aid the people of South Vietnam in 1961 is when the war began. In the beginning the war was seen as a good thing, we were going to help the southern part of Vietnam take back its country from the communist North. But as time dredged on the war begame hated by the people back at home. After losing the war the Vietnam Veterans came home to scrutiny and shame because they fought in the war. It was tough they had no choice in the matter, it was either be drafted or go to jail. Men ranging from 18 to 25 years old being thrown into a lottery drafted to serve their county In the Vietnam War. These were just kids and they did not know what to expect until …show more content…
By daylight they took sniper fire, at night they were mortared, but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost. They marched for the sake of the march.” (O’Brien 15) In the short story, On the Rainy River, Tim O’Brien tells us that the only thing that kept him from listening to his own inner voice and running away from the war and across the border to Canada was the only answer to the people in his hometown would think was a coward. Later in the same year, Tim O’Brien kills a man himself with a grenade and is forced to understand his guilt with his fellow soldiers’ rationalization that killing the man was the right thing to do. By understanding to this killing someone this early, and that men in the war do unspeakable things partly because of impulse but mainly because of peer pressure from other men, Tim O’Brien suggests that the greatest fear of all soldiers is not death or killing but simple embarrassment of feeling emasculated. By pinning the unnecessary deaths of his friends, especially Kiowa, on these false notions of obligation that the men have to bear, Tim O’Brien suggests that the greatest tragedy of the Vietnam War is not its violence but its ability to inspire compliance among the
Tim O Brien On The Rainy River Analysis
345 Words | 2 Pages“On the Rainy River”, an intimate chapter between Tim O'Brien and the reader digs deep within O’Brien’s mind, revealing his extensive fear of going to war and how far he would reach to avoid it. More than 60,000 men avoided the draft for the Vietnam War, O’Brien taking part in that number. Burning draft cards, ignoring “casting” calls and fleeing to Canada grew as young American men were being called to fight a war none had wanted to take part in. Without confronting his parents about the situation from the start, Tim O’Brien fled to the Tip Top Lodge which “jutted northward into the Rainy River”; not quite Canada, but close enough to execute his decision when made(47). Home, a place known to be safe and comforting for O’Brien, where his loved
Summary Of On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien
341 Words | 2 PagesIn Tim O'Brien's "On The Rainy River" from the novel Things They Carried, the author emphasizes the meaning of the River. " On The Rainy River" explores the meaning of separation between O'Brien's two different futures. As O'Brien battles his two different lives, he worries about what consequences will come with each side. O'Brien highlights how he was impulsive and began heading for the border where his life would be at the most risk. "
If I Die In A Combat Zone By Tim O Brien
852 Words | 4 PagesThe everyday life in the forests of Vietnam are always a battle, from village to village the Alpha Company lived and committed atrocities with the power of warfare. Although O’Brien seems to dislike the forms of force used against the Vietnamese he is aware that any Vietnamese in sight becomes an enemy. Despite that he is scarred with everything he lives as a soldier from shooting someone with an M-16 to his own unit members thrown into pieces by a grenade. War life like it is presented by O’Brien is not like any kind of life: from the successful ambushes, to losing half of the unit, or not knowing who would or wouldn't come back became a fear that because they were soldiers they were forced to cover. And many times they covered it through showing their “masculinity” by taking advantage of woman from the villages taking them by force or from canteens.
Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: A Literary Analysis
1292 Words | 6 PagesReaders, especially those reading historical fiction, always crave to find believable stories and realistic characters. Tim O’Brien gives them this in “The Things They Carried.” Like war, people and their stories are often complex. This novel is a collection stories that include these complex characters and their in depth stories, both of which are essential when telling stories of the Vietnam War. Using techniques common to postmodern writers, literary techniques, and a collection of emotional truths, O’Brien helps readers understand a wide perspective from the war, which ultimately makes the fictional stories he tells more believable.
The Rainy River In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
706 Words | 3 PagesOn the Rainy River Analysis One of the most compelling books I’ve read is The Things They Carried. This book is filled with many short stories of the Vietnam war. The Author tells the story from the perspective of the soldiers. This books shows us the sacrifice these men had to give for are freedom. The Things They Carried has many great stories by Tim O’brien, but On The Rainy River was my favorite and seemed to follow the psychological literary lens.
Civil Rights Movement In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
946 Words | 4 PagesFor young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past that they can only learn about it from second hand sources. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, it becomes very apparent that the Vietnam conflict has proved to be one that many of the participants have not been able move away from. Throughout the 60s people were constantly fighting for their rights as citizens to protest war. It was more common than not for soldiers to never return home and many tried to keep the youth from going. The 60s was a time for change, a time for people to stand up for what they believe.
Symbolism In The Mountains Sing
1208 Words | 5 PagesThe hope and longing for normalcy for the people of Vietnam was outraged. Only one side of the story is seen when talking about War. The effects on the men in the military were horrifying however nothing is ever seen for the people at home. The families of Vietnam had to evacuate their homes over the years. Seeing
How Did The Vietnam War Affect The Economy Of The 1970s
1489 Words | 6 PagesWalking through the heart filled Jungles of Vietnam, US soldiers fought these Vietnam and North Vietnamese soldiers from the year 1955 to 1975. These American soldiers were drafted from their homes, schools, and jobs to fight a war halfway around the world seem to do nothing with their daily lives. The 1970’s was a decade for the United States and the world of much accomplishment in peace and the cooling of tensions on a global scale, but there were also hardships and awful catastrophes that crippled the US and the World. In the United States, the 1970’s were a time of great economic hardships, stagflation grew and spread amid throughout the country. Stagflation was in latent terms stagnant economy and terrible inflation of the US dollar.
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.
A Summary Of Philip Caputo's A Rumor Of War
1500 Words | 6 PagesA Rumor of War by Philip Caputo shows the hard work and difficult tasks the men had to go through to prove themselves and protect their country. The war will change the men’s attitudes and the way they do everything. Men made sacrifices in the Vietnam War most people would never make in a lifetime, they will not just sacrifice but push themselves physically harder than most any other men. The men will also emotionally change from constantly watching other men die, or killing other men. The mens first kill was always the hardest for them, mentally they had so many thoughts of the other mans close ones back home and what they would go through and how it would be all their fault.
On The Rainy River Character Analysis
807 Words | 4 PagesPlanning Page Template Prompt Question: Discuss the ideas developed by the text creator about the role adversity plays in shaping an individual’s identity. Identity: Tim O’Brien thought of himself as an indisputable hero, the Lone Ranger, he exuded confidence, courageous. Adversity: Tim had been drafted to fight in the Vietnam war, a war of which he didn’t endorse and thought was frivolous and brainless. Over the course of the the story Tim endures a difficult man vs self conflict, can’t decide whether he wants to be seen as a coward if he flees to Canada or see himself as a coward if he allows societal pressures to override his values and beliefs on the war.
Moral Confusion In The Things They Carried
645 Words | 3 PagesThe Vietnam War leaves a legacy of moral confusion with each and every soldier who serves. Soldiers are fighting for a cause they do not necessarily believe in, killing people who do not necessarily deserve it, and watching their brothers die beside them. Tim O’Briens’ book, The Things They Carried, illustrates the soldiers struggle to define morality throughout the confusion of the war. On the Rainy River, Tim O’Brien faces what he feels is his moral obligation to answer his country’s call and fight in Vietnam, and a personal moral issue with the reason for the war.
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.
Theme Of Innocence In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien
556 Words | 3 PagesFifty-eight thousand, one hundred forty-eight soldiers were killed in Vietnam. Over seventy-five thousand were disabled, and over five thousand lost limbs. Of those killed in Vietnam, eleven thousand four-hundred sixty-five were younger than twenty years of age. Five men killed in the war were only sixteen. Innocence was perhaps these young men’s greatest trait.
Tim O Brien On The Rainy River Summary
837 Words | 4 PagesOn the Rainy River is a story about a man, Tim O’Brien, who struggles with a life altering decision. He evaluated his own personal convictions regarding the Vietnam War at an isolated fishing lodge by the Canadian border. Three different forms of isolation are present in this story. These include physical, emotional, and societal isolation – all of which had an effect on how Tim dealt his conflicting emotions. Physical isolation played a prominent role in Tim O’Brien’s final decision to go to war.
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