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Sexism In On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

668 Words3 Pages

When analyzing Tim O’Brien’s story “On the Rainy River” greatly represents the postcolonial time period of the 1960s and ’70s of hybridity and appropriation of the expectations of men to go to war and not show fear or emotion, due to the fact that it would seem shameful and weak to be “soft” which in turn enforces the sexist idea of being on the same level of women. Within the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Tom O’Brien a 21-year-old man who graduated from Macalester College in 1968 and who was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. In his ideals, the war seemed wrong and redundant, which has unnecessary effects and consequences, additionally, his frustration and anger grew more when he wasn’t clearly informed of the reason why …show more content…

There was a generalized idea of what a man should do and what he is responsible for. Some of these things included having a stable income and a reputable job, creating a family with kids, being the sole decision-making for the household and also serving the country in times of war. This cultural appropriation pushed men to these expectations and blocked out emotions and fear, due to the shame of men seaming softer, which in turn enforces sexist ideals of being on the same level as a woman. Additionally, at the time Worthington was mainly considered as a conservative town, so if O’Brien made the decision to flee the draft he would most likely be labeled as a coward by his community and …show more content…

I felt paralyzed. All around me the options seemed to be narrowing, as if I were hurtling down a huge black funnel, the whole world squeezing in tight. There was no happy way out.” (O’Brien) This indirectly refers to the fact that all young men had no choice but to go to war and, the generalized view of society and the public it was status quo for all men to go to war. Additionally, there is imagery present in this quote specifically the huge black tunnel depicting the Vietnam War and the whole world squeezing in tight defines the society that forces men to go to war and be “patriotic” and fight for their

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The narrator of “One The Rainy River” by Tim O’Brein says i was no soldier. The sight of blood made me queasy and i couldn’t tolerate autority. I didnt know a rifle from a sling shot. In this essay i will identify at least three qualities from the reading i will use examples from my own experinces to support my ideas. The Vietnam War started in the 1960s to prevent the spread of communism in the southeast Asia Americans didnt agree with the war.

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These last few words are used with juxtaposition to show how the conflict caused him to go to the war because of his community's thoughts of the draft. Unfortunately, even after the war had finished, he still thought his choice was wrong, and had to deal with the aftermath as well as his internal conflict. Although people would say that going to the war was the bravest thing to do, the main character still believed in it being wrong to go as well as deciding not to run away. For the fact is that he had only stayed because of the his community, how he was still pulled down by their standards and the people around him that he was too afraid to do what he thought was the right choice. By going into the war, he had survived watching his comrades die in the war, forced to fight in Vietnam with no clear goal.

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Tim O’Brien writes us a wonderful fictional tale of a platoon of men in vietnam during the vietnam war, The Things They Carried shows the reader that when the men are over in this distant and strange land, not only do they carry physical objects, but emotional baggage and ideas that truly make, or break a man in war. Tim and his men show several signs of stress and turmoil while fighting the war, and while they survive they begin to understand what is really means to live, die, and what is right, and wrong. While over in vietnam the men are in a war, not a simple skirmish or fight, but a full on war against an enemy that they were not sure they are the enemy. The men would walk from location from location seeing what there is to do and trying

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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.

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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.

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On The Rainy River Reader Response

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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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On The Rainy River Courage Quotes

1302 Words | 6 Pages

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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