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On The Rainy River Theme

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"On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien is from a collection of stories published in 1990 called "The Things They Carried." All of these stories are related to the war in Vietnam and can be read as a memoir because the events are all loosely based on O'Brien's experiences. Through O'Brien's story of the Vietnam War, many themes and messages related to moral disorder and personal conflict are explored. The themes of fear and embarrassment and how they can influence your decisions are highlighted. Also, the theme of guilt over the war is conveyed in the story. These themes and messages spoke to me because of my grandfather, Poppi, was a doctor in the Vietnam War. Poppi experienced guilt in the war but also experienced fear from the events that were occurring. Overall, "On the Rainy River" conveyed the themes of fear, guilt, and embarrassment which allowed me to reflect on my grandfather's experience in the Vietnam war.
"On the Rainy River" is narrated by the main character, Tim. Tim starts off by telling the readers that the story he is about …show more content…

Although I will most likely never experience what Tim went through, my grandfather did. I feel that listening to my Poppi's stories about the war have allowed me to connect with this story and feel sympathy for Tim. Just like Tim, Poppi was drafted into the war. At the time, my Poppi was married to my grandma, and had two kids. My Poppi was a doctor and had a lot of guilt going to the war and leaving his wife and two young children behind. My Poppi worked tirelessly to get stationed at a naval base in the United States so he could stay with his family. Poppi got stationed with his family in Maryland at Andrew's Airforce Base. As I said before, Tim returned home because he felt guilty about betraying his family and country. Just like him, my Poppi felt guilty about not going to the war when he saw all the terrible

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