What is the message of on the Rainy River?
Lesson Summary A short story from that collection, called ‘On the Rainy River,’ gives us the backstory on how Tim, our protagonist, became one of those soldiers. Major themes of this story include the Vietnam War, courage, right and wrong, and memory and truth.
What is on the Rainy River about?
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.
What does the river symbolize in on the Rainy River?
It is possible that O’Brien is suggesting that he was in such a panic to avoid the draft that he left as quickly and as unplanned as he could. All the people that O’Brien believes he sees on the Rainy River could symbolise his belief system and how he can’t fight it. He knows that he must go to Vietnam.
What does Elroy symbolize in on the Rainy River?
O’Brien uses Elroy to show that many Americans were dubious of the war’s necessity and benefit. He also serves as a reminder of what a hero can look like to Tim, a quiet but strong man who allows others to make important choices for themselves.
What is the climax of on the Rainy River?
The Climax In The Story Is When Tim Has A Mental Brekadown, And Decides To Stay In Canada. To Relax, He Has A Fishing Trip On The River Between Minnesota & Canada.
Why is O’Brien ashamed of his story?
O’Brien is ashamed of this event in his life because he began to cry, but also because he experienced a “moral freeze.” O’Brien wants this moral quandary not to exist in the past, but to be a present question, an active engagement with the reader and what they would do.
What is the irony in on the Rainy River?
The irony within this story is the fact that despite his best efforts to avoid entering the Vietnam War, O’Brien is still forced into entering the war at the end of the story.
What does the author mean when he says the man knew?
What does the author mean when he says, “The man knew” (54). He means that Elroy Berdahl knew that O’Brien was running from something and did not know where he was going and how he would end up getting there.
What does the meatpacking plant symbolize in on the Rainy River?
On the Rainy River So, O’Brien didn’t really work in a meatpacking plant the summer before he went to Vietnam, and he didn’t go up to the Canadian border to try to get away from the war and then chicken out and return home. It’s a symbol for his mental state at the time.
What is the resolution in on the Rainy River?
Tim fought and survived the war and considered himself a coward for not fleeing. Tim receives a draft notice and decides to flee to Canada. He stays at The Tip Top Lodge, where he meets Elroy, who takes him out in a boat one night so that he can swim to Canada, but at the last minute Tim decides not to flee.
What is the tone of on the Rainy River?
In the memoir The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the chapter titled: On the Rainy River has a central idea of resentment, embarrassment and eventual acceptance to change. The author creates this central idea with the use of a regretful tone, man vs society conflict, and dreary imagery.
Why was O’Brien a coward?
Another Effect Of On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien He thought that escaping would be courageous and going to the war would be cowardly, and because he decided not to run away he was a coward. He himself believed that the fact he the opportunity to get away and he could not do it made him a coward.
What does the border symbolize for O Brien?
So, O’Brien didn’t really work in a meatpacking plant the summer before he went to Vietnam, and he didn’t go up to the Canadian border to try to get away from the war and then chicken out and return home. It’s a symbol for his mental state at the time.
How is imagery used in on the Rainy River?
O’Brien uses the imagery of “tiny yellow cabins” in “sorry shape” along a “peninsula that jutted into the Rainy River” to give readers a sense of where Tim was staying and the shape of the place where he stayed.
Why is there an unnamed character in the the story in the field?
Finally, there is the young soldier who is not named. He has no name because he is no one in particular, just any soldier who could have made a simple mistake and caused his own or someone else’s death. He is, of course, filled with guilt and sees Kiowa’s death as his personal fault, just as Cross does.
Why are chapters called spin?
This chapter is titled ‘Spin’ because O’Brien writes that ‘the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put a fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.
What is the purpose of the scene Tim imagines on the banks of the Rainy River?
What is the purpose of the scene Tim imagines on the banks of the Rainy River? The moment he made the decision to go to Canada.
What is moral freeze?
p. 49) This defines what it felt like to be in this moral turmoil. it gives physical cadence to the emotion and makes it real for the audience. “A moral freeze: I couldn’t decide, I couldn’t act, I couldn’t comport myself with even a pretence of modest human dignity.” (p52)
Why do you think O’Brien ends the story on the Rainy River in the way he does?
The ending of the story defies the conventions of a “happy” ending: O’Brien survives—we would expect that to be enough. But because his decision to go to war was motivated by shame, he doesn’t see himself as a war hero, just a coward who gave in to social pressures.
Is “on the Rainy River” a true story?
Fact and Fiction “On the Rainy River” appears in The Things They Carried(1990), Tim O’Brien’s collection of interrelated stories about the Vietnam War. Although the stories are fictional, they were inspired by O’Brien’s wartime experiences.
What should I study before I read on the Rainy River?
Before you read “On the Rainy River,” study the background information on this page. Then, as you read the story, use this information to gain insight into the narrator’s actions and beliefs. reading skill: identify author’s perspective
What influenced Tim O’Brien to write on the Rainy River?
Tim O’Brien’s perspective was influenced by his rural upbringing, his education, and his experiences in Vietnam. These influences are reflected in statements by the narrator of “On the Rainy River,” whose background and experiences are very similar to those of the author.
What did I do on the Rainy River 913?
on the rainy river 913 “Nothing,” I said. “Wait.” I spent the summer of 1968 working in an Armour meat-packing plant in my hometown of Worthington, Minnesota. The plant specialized in pork products, and for eight hours a day I stood on a quarter-mile assembly line—more properly, a disassembly line—removing blood clots from the necks of dead pigs.