Throughout The Things They Carried, O'Brien using language to dramatize his stories, drawing the reader into the world of the book. In the chapter, “On the Rainy River,” O'Brien is faced with the decision of escaping to Canada, or allow himself to be dragged into a war he doesn't believe in. From the very beginning of the chapter, the reader is brought into the story and experiences the sadness and uncertainty along with him, ultimately leading to the finale that brought about his decision. O'Brien is able to do this by using language to explain how he felt on the river, at the border, and at his realization. The first two paragraphs were about the river. As O'Brien sat in the boat, practically alone with his decision, the rocking of the boat symbolized the uncertainty he felt while the fast current symbolized his racing thoughts. As he sat in the rocking boat, he emphasized how big the world was as “there was a vastness to the …show more content…
He came to realize that “Canada had become a pitiful fantasy,” and that “It was no longer a possibility.” Escaping to Canada had never actually been a choice that he could make, but he wasn't able to realize that until he had come face to face with that fact. He said, “I would not be brave.” He saw himself as a coward for not being able to cross the border between going to war and escaping to safety. He began to drown in his own memories as they flashed by, something that's said to happen when death nears. This symbolized his view of the war as a death sentence, despite values of the country that said going to war was heroic. For the finale of his decision, various groups of people began to show up in a chaotic fashion and call for him to make a decision. This symbolized the pressure that society pushed onto the soldiers as they judged them based on their