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On The Rainy River

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Often in life people are faced with situations that cause them to question their own motives. A dilemma of this nature is depicted in the short story “On the Rainy River” written by Tim O’Brien. The story explores the role of shame in war, and has a reoccurring theme of embarrassment. The main character, Tim O’Brien himself, feels guilty about going to Vietnam because it contrasts all his moral standards. Though not all of the events that appear in the story are true, the story itself does convey an emotional truth. Balancing moral principles with patriotic pressures was a challenge faced by many during that summer of 1968. The short story makes it clear; no matter the person’s beliefs, the imposing threat of ridicule usually has greater influence. …show more content…
Berdahl becomes a father figure to the narrator, and symbolizes God as well. When reflecting back on his fictional time with Berdahl, O’Brien states, “He was the true audience. He was a witness, like God, or like the gods, who look on in absolute silence as we live our lives, as we make our choice or fail to make them.” O’Brien felt he was responsible not only to Uncle Sam, but to his God as well. While the narrator appreciates the things Berdahl did for him, he is suspicious of their time spent together. He relates the feeling to that of watching an old film in which he is the star. Along with the trip to Tip Top Lodge, O’Brien’s summer job at a meatpacking plant is also fictional. This denotes his constant worried thoughts of slaughter, and how the nightmarish idea of killing was such a common occurrence for him that summer. The narrator goes on to say that he felt he could not wash away the smell of the pig, like O’Brien could not wash away the guilt of going to war. That stressful summer of ’68 Tim O’Brien had to weigh the guilt of avoiding the draft against the guilt of committing such heinous atrocities against other humans. He was caught in a catch-22, and although he was ethically opposed, he surrendered to his country’s demands. His words were, “I was a coward. I went to the

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