Summary V. Analysis

Summary:

On the Rainy River, writtin by Tim O’Brien was an untold story. Tim was twenty one years old and had just graduated from Malcaster College when he got a draft notice in 1968. He thought that the Veitnam war was wrong. He took a stand against war in his college years. A while after he got his notice he began to think about running to Canada to escape. He was often skeptical about the situation and was back and forth between going and

not going.

After some time he decided he would leave town and went to the Canadian border. He stopped at the Tip Top lodge and stayed there for six days free of charge. The guy working at the lodge, Elroy Beddahl, took Tim in. Tim was so torn between running off

to Canada and going into the army he made himself sick. Elroy gave Tim some money for helping out around the lodge. The two went for a fishing trip and that is when Tim decided he would go to war after all.

Analysis:

This untold story is based on being ashamed and embarrassed. Tim had no desire to go fight in the war and risk his life along with others. He though that the war was pointless and there was no reason for it. However, he admits to being young and not understanding politics. Tim thought he had too much to live for, he was too smart and had too much going for him to waste his life in the war. As the story progresses we see Tim’s struggle with either going to the war or bailing. The only reason that he ends up staying is because he does not want to be the laughing stalk of his town. He also does not want to let down his parents. Tim still has no desire to go to war but he chooses to anyways. His six days with the lodge worker, Elroy bring him to his final decision to go to war. Tim closes with, “I was a coward. I went to war” (O’Brien Page 61). Tim thinks that since he goes against what he wanted to do he is a coward. In my opinion he is, however he had a duty to his country that overpowers his own wants and needs.