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On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

676 Words3 Pages

“On the Rainy River”, Tim O’Brien’s most prominent story, reveals “society’s contribution to shaping the character’s decision-making” (IPL). The story expresses emotions that drive from the war he was forced to take part in. The author of this story is Tim O’Brien, “attempting to relieve shame and guilt about his involvement in the war” (CliffNotes). “Post-colonial criticism plays an important role in the story, since it focuses on the relationship between colonizers and colonized people” (Dibekulu, 2022). Tim demonstrates this several times in his short story, expressing it from different perspectives depending on the text. Although this tale is based on the post-colonial perspective, it is separated into three segments, one of them being the political, psychological, and embodied …show more content…

This subject, in particular, explores the depths of how society can affect a person’s decision-making. Similar to politics, society’s motive is to affect someone psychologically to the point that they are afraid to speak up their mind. Tim remarks, “I couldn't make up my mind. I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile. I was afraid of walking away from my own Life, my friends and my family, my whole history, everything that mattered to me. I feared losing the respect of my parents. I feared the law. I feared ridicule and censure” (Tim, Pg. 5). It is evident from the quote that Tim just wanted to live life on his own terms, but the societal pressure pressurized him to go to the war. Subsequently, this took a huge toll on Tim’s life, as well as his mental health. He cared what other people will think of him if he fled from the war, and felt stupid, and ashamed, to take the right step (Tim, Pg. 9-10). This concludes that societal pressure can reduce self-confidence, thus increasing depression or anxiety, which is visible in Tim’s book; highlighting the significance of post-colonial

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The main characters, Tim O’Brien and Elroy Berdahl, meet as O’Brien resides at Berdahl’s Tip Top Lodge on the Rainy River. O’Brien is at Berdahl’s lodge for six days as he tries to decide whether to avoid the war and flee to Canada or go back to his hometown of Worthington, Minnesota and fight in the Vietnam War. On the final day of O’Brien’s stay at the Tip Top Lodge, Berdahl takes him fishing and gives him the opportunity to flee to Canada. O’Brien hallucinates and fights with himself whether or not to go to Canada but in the end, he ends up going back to Worthington, Minnesota, and later on to war. On the Rainy River by Tim O’Brien illustrates the pains of the Vietnam War as O’Brien gets drafted and as an

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British colonialism is regarded as a crucial period in world history due to having had a significant and long-lasting impact on how the world looked today. The colonial activities of the British Empire, which spanned several centuries, had a lasting impression on places all over the world. This essay gives a thorough history of British colonialism, emphasizing its causes, significant epochs, significant colonies, effects, and lasting legacies. Through a reading of George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" and Andrea Levy's "Back to My Own Country: An Essay," this thesis argues that British colonialism carefully and profoundly complicated the concept of home by examining the experiences of both the colonized and the colonizers. These narratives

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904 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the story, Tim O’Brien writes about things he carried from the war to his normal life and speaks about the difficulties of it. He carries things from the war to his normal life because of the PTSD he suffers from. He brings words from the war over to normal life because the words used in war have become the new normal for him whether it be good or bad, but either way, PTSD reminds him about the experiences using these words during the war. The story states, “He doesn’t know how to live with the guilt of the war. He uses words that he would only use in the war because he is not used to normal life after the war.”

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990 Words | 4 Pages

Through centuries of great wars and battles, history has displayed brave men and women who have fought for their countries. These audacious people have helped propel countries for the greater good. However, the weight and responsibility, of the war, takes a heavy toll on soldiers that is often overlooked. Tim O’Brien, author of the novel The Things They Carried, records his stories, and the stories of his fellow soldiers during the war. However, three of these soldiers are affected in an outlandish way.

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1292 Words | 6 Pages

O’Brien presents a variety of stories to present the complexity of war. “On The Rainy River” is a pre-war

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In one scene Tim is describing the time when he decided to go to war instead of escape to Canada, “And right then I submitted. I would go to the war - I would kill and maybe die - because I was embarrassed not to,”(57). Tim is often shown to fear war. He never truly thought the war would come to him: When it did it affected his mental health. This quote shows how he is scared of war and that he is willing to give up his life to escape it.

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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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774 Words | 4 Pages

War has a profound and lasting impact on individuals and society. In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he tells different stories of before, during and after war and how it affects the soldiers, mentally and physically. In these stories Tim O’Brien illustrates these traumas and the long-lasting effects and impact that the war will always have on these men. Even though all the men didn’t survive the ones that did continue to have traumatic flashbacks. War has a lasting impact on individuals and society, affecting not only the physical but the mental and emotional well-being of those involved.

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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.

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While at college, Tim's views on the war were mixed. He did not openly express his opposition to the war, but internally, he held a deep reluctance towards it. He describes his mindset, stating, "I was a coward. I went to the war". This reflects his internal struggle and conflicted feelings about the war.

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970 Words | 4 Pages

This quote is important simply because it gives us a little background info about how Tim felt before he is actually in the war. At this point in the book Tim has made up his mind and is ready to go to war. He doesn’t really care if he lives or dies , but he

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1032 Words | 5 Pages

From a post-colonial perspective, the effects and impacts of colonialism on cultures, society, and the human mind can be examined. The short story “On The Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien narrates the autographic thoughts and actions of the author after he is drafted into the war. O’Brien runs from his duties out of fear before stepping up and returning to fight for his country. After reading this short story, a post-colonial perspective can be taken through a more profound analysis when it becomes evident that during the time this piece was set in 1968, there was a patriarchal stigma around men going to war that supported the idea that men must put emotions aside and choose their country over anything else. This post-colonial perspective can be

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999 Words | 4 Pages

The True Weight of War “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers go through during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and and mind, to the point where some men return home completely destroyed. Some soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. An indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet secretly desired to die and bring a conclusion to their misery.

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1756 Words | 8 Pages

I 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.

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837 Words | 4 Pages

On 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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