ipl-logo

Comparing Orwell's 1984 And O Brien

951 Words4 Pages

The decisions we make have the ability to impact our future/life paths and unwise decisions can result in major consequences. The novel 1984 by George Orwell and the short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien equally represent the fact that when we make decisions, they largely impact what lies ahead in the future. Orwell and O’Brien both investigate and answer the essential question in their stories through such things as the theme, characters, plot, etc.

The characters in these stories both make major decisions throughout the plot which, in result, alters the outcome of their futures. In George Orwell’s 1984, the main characters, Winston and Julia, begin to rebel against the government and the enforced rules. At the start of the novel, …show more content…

In the novel 1984, Winston makes (what seems to be) quite minor actions such as falling in love with a woman named Julia. They begin a “secret” affair in which they rent a private room from a man named Mr. Charrington. This affair structures into a strong bond between them which lets the readers believe they would do anything for each other: “The smell of her hair, the taste of her mouth, the feeling of her skin seemed to have got inside him, or into the air all around him. She had become a physical necessity” (pg. 140). Sadly, not only does Charrington turn out to be a member of the Thought Police, but he also turns them in which leads to their arrest. In the short story “On the Rainy River”, Tim O’Brien has an idea of fleeing to Canada and avoiding the war. However, he simply chooses to go against his beliefs and go to war. This action reveals him as a week-minded and self-conscious person. Because of this minute act, O’Brien lives the rest of his life in utter embarrassment and sadness (“I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war”). This displays how very minor actions and choice can impact the direction of one’s

Show More
Related

War In On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

925 Words | 4 Pages

The Things That The War Can Bring Out In People The passage On the Rainy River written by Tim O’Brien was a short story about himself, and it displays the fear of death, and the fear of shame that Tim O’Brien is experiencing no matter what choice he decides to make. O’Brien is afraid to die, and that is a big reason why he doesn’t want to go to war, but the main reason is the fact that he hates war. He is completely against it, and sees no positive side to it whatsoever. Additionally, he’s afraid of the shame that comes with going to the war.

Read More

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.

Read More

On The Rainy River Diction

713 Words | 3 Pages

The novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien uses many effective rhetorical strategies throughout. In the chapter On the Rainy River, Tim O’Brien tells the audience a story he has never told anybody. Not even his parents, siblings or wife. He narrates the events and emotions that he experienced after receiving a war draft notice during the summer of 1968. O’Brien is ashamed about how he dealt with the notice and he feels as though he is “too good” to go to war.

Read More

On The Rainy River Reader Response

612 Words | 3 Pages

Reader 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.

Read More

A Marker On The Side Of The Boat Analysis

813 Words | 4 Pages

O’Brien tells the readers about him reflecting back twenty years ago, he wonders if running away from the war were just events that happened in another dimension, he pictures himself writing a letter to his parents: “I’m finishing up a letter to my Parents that tells what I'm about to do and why I'm doing it and how sorry I am that I’d never found the courage to talk to them about it”(O’Brien 80). Even twenty years after his running from the war, O’Brien still feels sorry for not finding the courage to tell his parents about his decision of escaping to Canada to start a new life. O’Brien presented his outlook that even if someone was not directly involved in the war, this event had impacted them indirectly, for instance, how a person’s reaction to the war can create regret for important friends and

Read More

Tim O Brien On The Rainy River Symbolism

1361 Words | 6 Pages

"On the Rainy River" is a short story written by Tim O'Brien, through imagery and symbolism, explores the power of imagination and how it can shape an individual's willingness to embrace or reject an uncertain future. The story follows the narrator, a young man named Tim, as he grapples with the decision of whether to flee to Canada to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. Through the use of imagery and symbolism, O'Brien illustrates the ways in which Tim's imagination both helps and hinders his ability to come to terms with his uncertain future. In the beginning of the story, the narrator can be described as a pacifist: someone who does not believe in war, someone who rather talk through each other’s differences without resorting nor believing that violence is the answer.

Read More

O 'Brien In George Orwell's 1984'

225 Words | 1 Pages

O’Brien is an Inner Party member whom Winston thinks is also a rebel against the Party, and is Part of the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is believed to be a mysterious organization with many supporters, their aim is to overthrow the Party. O’Brien befriends Winston and Julia and invites them to his house, he confirms his rebel against the Party and his membership in the brotherhood. It was later on revealed that O’Brien was in fact one of the Thought Police, and that he lied by saying that he’s a member of the Brotherhood to trick Winston and make him reveal himself.

Read More

Fiction And Reality In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

1413 Words | 6 Pages

Hidden somewhere within the blurred lines of fiction and reality, lies a great war story trapped in the mind of a veteran. On a day to day basis, most are not willing to murder someone, but in the Vietnam War, America’s youth population was forced to after being pulled in by the draft. Author Tim O’Brien expertly blends the lines between fiction, reality, and their effects on psychological viewpoints in the series of short stories embedded within his novel, The Things They Carried. He forces the reader to rethink the purpose of storytelling and breaks down not only what it means to be human, but how mortality and experience influence the way we see our world. In general, he attempts to question why we choose to tell the stories in the way

Read More

On The Rainy River Analysis

1205 Words | 5 Pages

It 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.

Read More

George Orwell 1984 Comparison

1077 Words | 5 Pages

Human beings share the earth in the same way they share their ideas and memories through literature. The stories we read, write, and create are the air we breath, connecting everyone and everything. The greens and blues that make up our planet are a constant in writing, they are the earth colors that symbolizes growth, harmony, and endurance; all of the things that make characters round and memorable. These examples in literature, being the connection between everyone on the planet, and the planet itself, can be found in any piece of literature from any time period.

Read More

On The Rainy River Character Analysis

807 Words | 4 Pages

How 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.

Read More

George Orwell 1984 Comparison Essay

502 Words | 3 Pages

My free choice novel is 1984 by George Orwell. I heard about this book from my father, who read it when he was in high school. He said that it was a good book to read. Since it is a popular book, I've heard about before.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Essay On 1984 By George Orwell

865 Words | 4 Pages

In the united states today the government has so much power than what people may think. They have control over innocent citizens. The kind of power the government has over us has gotten to a limit where now they know where we are at and all of our private information safe on our cell phones. George Orwell’s novel 1984 gives a great example of how the government controls the people. In the novel they tell us about the government from Oceania, and how they control every single second of the citizens’ lives.

Read More

The Things They Carried Internal Conflict Analysis

845 Words | 4 Pages

This is evident when Mr. O’Brien says, “I would go to the war – I would kill and maybe die – because I was embarrassed not to,” (pg. 57.) In the end the author realized what he must do and went back home, so he could fight in the Vietnam

Read More

Tim O Brien On The Rainy River Analysis

708 Words | 3 Pages

The 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.

Read More

More about Comparing Orwell's 1984 And O Brien

Related Topics

Open Document