ipl-logo

Decision In On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

585 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: On the rainy river by tim o'brien critical essay

On the Rainy River Tim O'Brien What do these texts suggest to you about the impact significant events have on an individual's ability to determine their destiny? Many individuals come across choices that will impact their future, and they will have to decide. However, making that decision takes a lot of work. These events could drastically change someone's life, for better or worse. The choice that the individual has to make determines their future. The fear of others' judgment or disappointment can make it challenging for an individual to make that decision. Individuals often find themselves at a crossroads, torn between societal expectations and their desires. This idea could apply an unsensible amount of pressure and could conflict with loyalties. In the short story On the Rainy River by Tim O'Brien, the protagonist is confronted with the decision to go to war or flee and avoid the draft. The thoughts and whispering he heard about himself made this decision much harder and applied much more pressure. This significant event in tims life forced him to decide between war and his own life. Tim eventually gives in to his thought and accepts the draft. However, that decision was heavily influenced by his inner thoughts. He spent a few days at the tip-top lodge, where his mind was consumed by the judgments and opinions of others. Eventually, the tight grip of embarrassment held onto him and made him lead to his decision. …show more content…

Not thinking about the backlash he'd get for not going to war, He runs away and spends a couple of days at the lodge with his thoughts. Later on, he meets an old man who provides him with nothing but comfort. The man never questions Tim about anything that he might make him uncomfortable with. Barely any words were spoken, yet he had an impact on Tim's

Show More
Related
676 Words | 3 Pages

Tim is obsessed with getting honor and glory; when he saw that war did not always promise that outcome, he wanted to avoid fighting and become

Read More
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
721 Words | 3 Pages

This wasn’t a clear discovery for him until his conscience was telling him to run, but “some irrational and powerful force was resisting, like a weight [was] pushing [him] toward the war,”(P.49) and what it came down to, in fact, “was a sense of

Read More
488 Words | 2 Pages

In the story “On the Rainy River” O’Brien makes readers wonder how men thought about war when they would be drafted and how they felt. O’brien told readers how the conditions were back then and how people overcame their fear of the war with metaphors. He used metaphors like The Lone Ranger, how Elroy’s eyes could see through him, and finally how pig factories affected O’brien’s thoughts about war change. With this being said one example is, “Certainly that was my conviction back in the summer of 1968. Tim O'Brien: a secret hero.

Read More
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
1469 Words | 6 Pages

The chapter On the Rainy River is a depiction of what it is a like to get a draft notice. Tim O’Brien exemplifies the emotions a soldier goes through when they get a draft card. The feelings he wants the readers to feel is arguably the best depicted in this chapter. The story is believable, even when as a reader, we know it is not true, because the book is fiction. Tim O’Brien wants us to believe this story because he wants the reader to understand the emotion truth.

Read More
1184 Words | 5 Pages

This 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.

Read More
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
970 Words | 4 Pages

“ I would go to war-I would kill and die- because I was embarrassed not to.” This quote is from “On the Rainy River” Tim wasn’t really fit for war and he knew that about himself. Tim struggles with the making the decision on if he should go to war or not. Tim even decides to run away for a few days just to really think about his decision. In the long run, Tim decides to face his fear and go to war simply because he doesn’t want to be frowned upon from close friends or family members.

Read More
672 Words | 3 Pages

There was no sense of morality or politics or duty. Tim completed what he was trained to do, and that was to defend the camp against the enemy. The lone soldier was the enemy. Later Tim views his actions as impulsive and regrets throwing the grenade, despite his peers’ support. Tim declares, “Sometimes I forgive myself, sometimes I don’t.

Read More
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
325 Words | 2 Pages

He reminisces about how he was almost dodged the draft and was “feeling the shame” of running ( O’Brien 37). Instead of feeling pride to serve his country, he is instead filled with dread and cowardice after seeing that he has gotten a draft letter, which in turn causes him to drive to Canada, but stops in a nearby lodge. Here he meets Elroy, owner of the lodge and archetypal mentor. Tim has the moral dilemma of how “intellect” (49) had came “against emotion” (49). This shows moral ambiguity for Tim because intellect coming up against emotion means that he had his heart versus his mind, an internal battle with himself to do what is right or what feels

Read More
1617 Words | 7 Pages

Everyone has had to make decisions, it is just a part of life. How people deal with these decisions makes a difference. In the short story “The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro, many characters are met with decisions that they have to respond to. Similarly in Joni Mitchell's song “Big Yellow Taxi” she has the choice to go along with or oppose the actions of others. Both of these texts revolve around the question of how individuals deal with the future and societal pressure to conform.

Read More
1756 Words | 8 Pages

How he hated being drafted and how badly he wanted to run away. He tells how he took time to himself to decide whether or not he was going to run away and risk being caught and imprisoned or go join the army and risk dying over in Vietnam. He states at the end, “ I passed through twins with familiar names, through the pine forests and down to the prairie, and then to Vietnam, where I was a soldier, and then home again. I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward.

Read More
1056 Words | 5 Pages

The research also indicates that a belief in fate is not exactly an excuse for a person’s actions but more of reasoning for indulging in a pessimistic way of life. When humanity truly believes that they have free will, they will be all around better individuals because making positive choices lead to success and fulfillment of their potential and happiness. By comparison, those who put more faith in fate are overall unhappy: more conforming, less compassionate, unmotivated, unsatisfied

Read More

More about Decision In On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

Related Topics

Open Document