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Summary Of On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

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During the Vietnam War 58,220 U.S soldiers died. Many lost their life to a cause they did not support. Were these soldiers heroes? The true story “On The Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien describes his personal experience and his reaction to receiving a draft letter for the Vietnam War. Written twenty years after he was drafted, O’Brien recalls his early adulthood when he was sent a draft letter and had to choose if he would go off and fight in a War he did not believe in or run to Canada to avoid the draft. He becomes physically ill as he battles a moral dilemma and fears how he will be perceived by himself and others. The United States was fighting in the Vietnam War to try and stop the spread of communism. Some were fearful of the domino theory which says that communism in one country could cause neighboring countries to copy the communist style government and it would spread like a domino falling causing the entire row of dominoes to fall. O’Brien states that, “American war in Vietnam seemed to me wrong; certain blood was being shed for uncertain …show more content…

He is torn between obeying authority and going to war which he thinks is cowardly since he does not believe in it, or stand up for his beliefs and lose his reputation by fleeing to Canada. He is afraid of the war and says, “I did not want to die. Not ever. But certainly not then, not there, not in a wrong war” ( ). This shows his thoughts about fighting in a war he does not agree with. As O’Brien considers the option of avoiding the draft by going to Canada, he realises that he is “afraid of walking away from [his] own life, [his] friends and [his] family, [his] whole history, everything that mattered to [him]. [He] feared losing the respect of [his] parents. [He] feared the law. [He] feared ridicule and censure” ( ). O’Brien wrestles with these fears alone. He also never speaks to his parents or close friends about them because he is afraid of hearing what they may

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In fact, O’Brien debunks the assumption that men go to fight in wars to become heroes, for he did not go to the war to be recognized as a hero. Instead, Tim O’Brien, like so many others, initially wanted to avoid the draft, but succumbed to the pressures of society, that still continues on to this day. The men, especially the draftees, never quite know what they’re getting into, and wars bring out every emotion in a person through different experiences. In his book, O’Brien states, “Getting shot should be an experience from which you can draw some small pride…” (182). This quote emphasizes the moments of the war in which men muster up what little they would have ever opened up to when they speak of their experiences.

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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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