On the Rainy River

I chose to analyze Tim O’Brien’s, On the Rainy River because it was a story the author only revealed in his book. The chapter was about the author Tim O’Brien and his last days in the United States before he had to go to Vietnam. The time takes place when Tim O’Brien was twenty one and in his game with school and making something of himself. He was drafted Vietnam war and stripped from his life that he loved. About to go to Harvard and was president of his fraternity. About to leave his loved ones and his hometown O’Brien was forced to make a life changing decision.
O’Brien had a choice to both leave his family and hometown and go to Canada and be ashamed of himself for the rest of his life or go to Vietnam and make everyone proud of him. He was close to the border between Minnesota and Canada. His days were counting down and in his chapter he reveals his true shame. Desperate to avoid the war he left without knowing what was ahead. “For a while I just drove, not aiming at anything”, (O’Brien 45). Not caring what the future entailed, O’Brien was driving away from the war.
O’Brien ended up at a lodge next to the rainy river which separated his fate. He lived with the owner of the lodge for six days. Those six days were time for him to think and look at all of his opportunities. The owner wasn’t snoopy and knew that he had to give O’Brien his time and space to think. O’Brien’s last day at the lodge, O’Brien and the owner took a boating trip on the rainy river. That was the moment where O’Brien had to choose whether he would stay or go. In the beginning it was simple; he would jump over the boat and make himself a free life in Canada. Being there in the boat only twenty yards away from Canada land O’Brien froze. “I couldn’t decide, I couldn’t act, I couldn’t comport myself with even a pretense of modest human dignity”, (O’Brien 54).
Like a life and death situation O’Brien saw his future before his eyes. The image to me was like a life and death situation because he was choosing two very difficult life choices. Live the life he wants with no one by his side or go to a far off country and fight for something he didn’t believe to make people proud. The ending wasn’t so fortunate though; most would have jumped the boat and lived a life of choice. Instead O’Brien chose a life without embarrassment and headed back to Minnesota and went to war.
He has always been too ashamed to tell his story because he is still regretful for his decision. He didn’t go with his instinct because he didn’t want to live a life of shame. In the end he came home with a family who was proud of him and the fears of people thinking he was a traitor was a weight lifted off his shoulders but unfortunately the regret still hovered over him because all in all he didn’t make the “right” decision.

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