On The Rainy River
Andrea Esparza
Mrs. Kinder
English II Pre-AP – 1
September 16, 2012
A Secret Hero At the beginning, Tim O’Brien’s story, “On the Rainy River”, suggests to be about a story never told. He never told his story to anyone, not his wife, not his siblings, or his parents. The author, Tim O’Brien uses condemnation of the Vietnam War, his decision to run, and expatriation versus the war to illustrate the conflicts he faced in his life. The conflicts make the reader think about how the decision would reflect his life in every way. Tim O’Brien’s conflicts begin when he was fresh out of college. Twenty-one years of age, being young, naïve, and uncertain. It all began when he was sent a letter. O’Brien remembered it perfectly, “I remember opening up the letter, scanning the first few lines, feeling the blood go thick behind my eyes.” He saw it wrong; he had no intentions of ever being in something he hated so much, something that was not right. “I had taken a modest stand against the war.” O’Brien was very chaste about the war, yet hated it. He thought there should be a law, if you supported the war, then you should have to sacrifice yourself to the war and “put your own life in the line.” O’Brien’s disapproval of the war was made him feel like he was “burned down to a smoldering self-pity, then to numbness.” He could not take it; the draft letter was not for him. Another conflict O’Brien faced was his decision. This conflict was the most important and was life changing. O’Brien had to make the decision of whether to go to war, or to run away. This by far, was one of the most strenuous decisions in his life. Either way, the final decision that he made was on his life. O’Brien could not make up his mind. He would think, “I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything.” O’Brien thought that he was too good for the war, he was “above it,” and that “some dumb jingo,” should be drafted, someone below him, he knew he was too good for this.
Mrs. Kinder
English II Pre-AP – 1
September 16, 2012
A Secret Hero At the beginning, Tim O’Brien’s story, “On the Rainy River”, suggests to be about a story never told. He never told his story to anyone, not his wife, not his siblings, or his parents. The author, Tim O’Brien uses condemnation of the Vietnam War, his decision to run, and expatriation versus the war to illustrate the conflicts he faced in his life. The conflicts make the reader think about how the decision would reflect his life in every way. Tim O’Brien’s conflicts begin when he was fresh out of college. Twenty-one years of age, being young, naïve, and uncertain. It all began when he was sent a letter. O’Brien remembered it perfectly, “I remember opening up the letter, scanning the first few lines, feeling the blood go thick behind my eyes.” He saw it wrong; he had no intentions of ever being in something he hated so much, something that was not right. “I had taken a modest stand against the war.” O’Brien was very chaste about the war, yet hated it. He thought there should be a law, if you supported the war, then you should have to sacrifice yourself to the war and “put your own life in the line.” O’Brien’s disapproval of the war was made him feel like he was “burned down to a smoldering self-pity, then to numbness.” He could not take it; the draft letter was not for him. Another conflict O’Brien faced was his decision. This conflict was the most important and was life changing. O’Brien had to make the decision of whether to go to war, or to run away. This by far, was one of the most strenuous decisions in his life. Either way, the final decision that he made was on his life. O’Brien could not make up his mind. He would think, “I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything.” O’Brien thought that he was too good for the war, he was “above it,” and that “some dumb jingo,” should be drafted, someone below him, he knew he was too good for this.