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Motivation In On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

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In the short story "On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien, a young man named Tim needs to make a difficult decision: whether to go to war or flee to Canada to avoid the draft. Tim O'Brien explores the nature of motivation, particularly as it relates to difficult decisions and moral dilemmas. Motivation is a complex concept that many factors, such as personal values, social pressure, external rewards, power, and fear, can influence. Many factors make it difficult for him to decide, including shame, society's pressure, and his values. Tim’s goal in this short story is to decide based on his values, which can be difficult because one can lose self-respect when others don't agree with their beliefs. Therefore, for an individual's well-being, decisions must be based …show more content…

This can lead to a lack of authenticity and a sense of disconnection from our true selves, which can be harmful to our mental health and overall well-being, along with a sense of disempowerment and a lack of control over our lives. This can lead to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, which can contribute to feelings of loneliness and isolation, which can contribute to mental health problems such as depression. In conclusion, the short story "On the Rainy River" is a great example of the reality of making difficult decisions and the complex nature of motivation that pushes oneself to make them. Through Tim's moral dilemma, we see how motivation can be influenced by fear, shame, and a desire for self-respect. Tim's decision is not driven by a single factor but is instead influenced by a range of emotions and motivations. This reflects the reality of decision-making in real life, where there are rarely simple answers, and the importance of knowing how to navigate difficult decisions in our own lives because, like Tim, we do not want to regret or be ashamed of our

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Decision Division What’s the biggest decision that one has to make in life? Many will say what field of work they are going into or what college they want to attend. A big decision that Tim O’Brien has to choose between is going back home to go to war or flee to Canada to try to avoid the war. On the Rainy River by Tim O’Brien takes place in Minnesota during the Vietnam War where many males from the ages of 18-26 are getting drafted.

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In his short story, TIm O’Brien intentionally chooses words and phrases that evoke emotion in the reader. The author’s word choices give the reader a complete view of O’Brien’s perspective of his dilemma. “All of us, I suppose, like to believe that in a moral emergency we will behave like the heros of our youth, bravely and forthrightly, without thought of personal loss or discredit.” TIm O’Brien uses this quote from his short story to generate a feeling of uncertainty in the reader. It prompts the reader to question his/her own ability to be brave and strong in a time of crisis.

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No matter how ordinary a human being could be, no one has lived their entire life in someone’s shoe. Everyone stumbles upon different decisions in life, causing different but unique life experiences. However, one’s life can only be changed with one’s decision. Life is about making decisions, whether it’s right or wrong, it all comes from the decision maker.

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Although this short story is fiction, given O’Brien’s personal experience, it holds many truisms; one of which being the battle between what a man does and what a man feels he has to do. O’Brien’s use of characterization deconstructs what it means to be a man by exploring how events and situations dictate a soldier’s

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As an individual is faced with an important decision, having the support and understanding of others is crucial in order to ensure the individual feels confident enough to choose, what they believe is best for them. By understanding the feelings of another and providing empathy, it lessens the individual’s hesitance to make a decision despite society’s views on the subject. In the short story “On the Rainy River” written and narrated by Tim O’Brien, the narrator is drafted to fight in the Vietnam war and considers draft dodging to avoid fighting for something he disagrees with. When forced to choose between going against his beliefs and fighting in the war, or losing everything he cares about by fleeing the country, Tim seeks refuge at the

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In the short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien, the main character Tim O’Brien gets a letter notifying him that he has been selected for the draft; he is affected by this emotionally, physically, and he faces a moral dilemma because this war goes against what he believes in. Immediately upon receiving the letter O’Brien thinks, “I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. It couldn’t happen. I was above it” (1003).

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‘’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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(Ce) O’Brien declares how guilt is emoted through imagination. (De) He contemplates the reason a dead soldier was participating in war: “he was afraid of disgracing himself, and therefore his family and village. But all he could do, he thought, was wait and pray and try not to grow up too fast” (O’Brien 121). (A) Many soldiers in war are drafted and forced to participate–whether that is physically, emotionally, or socially–and how this thought is an attempt to alleviate O’Brien’s guilt.

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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.

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Tim's actions and language suggest that he did not wholeheartedly support the Vietnam War, but rather felt compelled by social norms and the fear of being labeled a coward if he did not go. When Tim receives his draft notice, he is faced with a moral dilemma. He contemplates the idea of courage and his responsibility to his family and country. He initially considers fleeing to Canada to avoid the war, but the fear of shame prevent him from doing so. He states, "I feared exile, imprisonment, and disgrace.

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Fighting in a war has become an image of courage and honour. Those who fall in war are given status and respect. While those who survive are made to relive events of the war, retelling the experience of war allows soldiers to add details to make them seem more courageous than they might truly be. The story of On the Rainy River by Tim O’Brian tells a story of his lack of courage. O'Brien used his intelligence to find reasons that he should not go to war, such as not being able to survive or being better and thinks that there is no purpose for the Vietnam war and that there should be a reason for war.

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While on the river that separates America and Canada, Tim is faced with a wide range of emotions about what’s best for himself and his family, he’s self aware of his actions and the consequences, Tim states, “A great wide sadness came pressing down on me, a crushing sorrow, a sorrow like I had never known” (O’Brien pg.57). Tim’s indecisiveness had completely overwhelmed him with pressure and emotion, he was in tears for the reason that he didn’t know which decision would allow him to be content. He’s overwhelmed and emotional since this decision will have such an immense impact on his life, he’s choosing between life and death at this moment. A decision about a future that would involve him leaving everything behind or his other option being war. After the moral freeze that Tim is faced with he ultimately decides that he wants to be brave and go to war, Tim states, “My whole life seemed to spill out into the river, swirling away from me” (O’Brien pg.58).

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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.

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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.

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So making a bad decision is never fun. I’d like to think that most of us prefer not to make them but can’t help to sometimes because we think a bad decision isn’t that bad. It might even be a good one in the right mind set. The point of this paper being to reflect on a pass choice looking at it with the elements of critical thinking. My bad decision is one I think most are guilty of, waiting until the last minute on something important.

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