Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Is identity a literary theme
Narrative writing about identity
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the short story, “On the Rainy River”, Tim O’Brien reflects on how an individual’s values and identity shifts in the face of adversity. This idea is portrayed in the character of Tim O’Brien and how he is able to compromise his values when he is faced with internal turmoil in the presence of adversity. “Oddly, though, it was almost entirely an intellectual activity. I brought some energy to it, of course, but it was the energy that accompanies almost any abstract endeavor”. This quote portrays how weakly Tim clung onto his values even though he held an opinion against this war. Tim never really takes initiative to fully fight this war, he only puts in the bare minimum. He talks about how the editorials he wrote were “tedious’ and “uninspired”
Tim O’Brien begins his journey as a young “politically naive” man and has recently graduated out of Macalester College in the United States of America. O’Brien’s plan for the future is steady, but this quickly changes as a call to an adventure ruins his expected path in life. In June of 1968, he receives a draft notice, sharing details about his eventual service in the Vietnam War. He is not against war, but this certain war seemed immoral and insignificant to Tim O’Brien. The “very facts were shrouded in uncertainty”, which indicates that the basis of the war isn’t well known and perceived
Everyday individuals face decisions in which they must choose whether to do what is appealing to them or to choose a more suitable and compliable choice. In the fictional work of ‘The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’ Brien, certain characters such as Tim O’ Brien himself must face decisions similar to these. The novel demonstrates that when an individual is faced with a decision in which there is a choice that he may have to conform, the individual tends to conform due to not wanting to embarrass themselves or to not be portrayed as a coward to others. However when the individual is challenged with these types of decisions, the choice does not matter since the outcome will be what the individual was trying to avoid. That is to say that in the excerpt “The Rainy River” Tim O’ Brien was going through a conflicting decision on whether or not he should go to the war. Yet, as we see it turns out that either choice will lead to either shame or cowardice. If he goes to the war he feels that he will be a coward and that he gave up his own morals and values and accepted something he does not believe in, but if he does not go to war he will be shunned by society and will be labelled as a coward because he will not fight for his country.
The chapter “On the Rainy River” can be analyzed to represent this style of storytelling throughout the length of the book. O’Brien uses antithesis in order to emphasize the particular moments in which emotional feelings were most apparent. Before the war begins, Tim runs away from home and is near the Canadian border, but he asks “What would you do?”(56), a use of erotesis in order to prove his point to the reader. He gives a few possibilities to the reader, but in the end, “All [he] could do was cry” (57). O’Brien makes a clear contrast between all the things he could have done at that moment, and makes his decision based on his emotions. This contrast is brought on through antithesis, where the contrast is the possibilities in his life between what he chooses from his emotions. Showing how one of the main conflicts in this chapters is due to his emotions, the reader realizes how important they are to his stories. As O’Brien contemplates crossing the border, escaping his responsibilities, he could not run away. He “Couldn’t make [himself] be brave. It had nothing to do with morality. Embarrassment, that’s all it was”(59). O’Brien draws the conclusion that he was making his actions by morality, but rather by embarrassment. By opposing two polar themes of society’s idea of morality and his personal
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a captivating recitation in which Tim O'Brien maintains that all the stories featured in the entire book are indeed true stories. Tim is the protagonist as well as the narrator of this particular story and it is the experiences that he had regarding war that have drove him to write the this story. The book gives a clear depiction of the war in Vietnam by showing the horrors of war but there have been varying views regarding the question of whether the book is an antiwar or not. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to address this particular issue by addressing different views in regard to whether the book is an anti-war on not and this will be supported by specific incidences and arguments as featured in The Things They Carried (Kock 45).
Throughout the seminar discussion various topics were addressed, but the argument students came back to the most dealt with the characters in the war and their experiences throughout the novel, more specifically, the negative effects the war had inflicted on them. Tim O’Brien’s argument in the novel was simply that war brings out the worst in people. O’Brien makes this argument clear through his usage of metaphors, imagery, and symbolism all as he builds up his complex characters throughout the novel.
Can you imagine having to leave your home to fight in a war that you really don’t agree with? This week, I have been able to finish reading Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried; the novel had a total of 260 pages. Throughout the novel, Tim O’Brien narrates a series of short stories that describe his growing up in Worthington, Minnesota, his leaving home, and his arrival and adventures in the jungle of Vietnam. Tim O’Brien describes the many things that each of his characters must physically and emotionally carry. During his one-year tour of duty, Tim loses many good friends, including Tim Lavender, Curt Lemon, and Kiowa. This week, I have also been able to begin reading John L. Parker’s novel Racing the Rain; I am currently on page 110. In Racing in the Rain, Quenton Cassidy is a young man who is growing up in rural Florida. He faces many conflicts related to his friend, Trapper Nelson, and his dilemma related to running track or playing basketball. While reading The Things They Carried, I have been connecting and questioning; I have been visualizing while reading Racing the Rain.
In Tim O'Brien's short story “On the Rainy River”, he used his personal experience taught us that as a member of the society, individuals usually lose their freedom whenever they have to make a decision, because their lives are labeled by different kinds of societal expectations. Instead of pursuing their personal desire, more often they have to conform to what they supposed to.The letter that drafted Tim O’Brien to the war not only affect his education but also changed the direction of his life. With a sense of protecting and defending for his bright future, he rejected to go to the war as everyone would do in that situation. However, over a period of time, his opinions change because of the fear of disappointing, ridiculing, censuring from
Life dwells in a never-ending sequence of decisions which revolves around an individual's motivation to achieve a goal. More often than not these choices are insignificant and lack meaning in an individual’s life. However, when a decision arises which will surely have an impact on the rest of the individual’s life, they will undoubtedly look to their motivation to guide their decision. On the other hand, when the individual is faced with the inexplicable decision that can change the fate of one's life, they may be faced with a dilemma of conflicting motivations, which resonates from what others desire for the individual and what the individual desires. In his short story, On The Rainy River, Tim O’Brien depicts his life-changing journey in
The relationship you have with others often has a direct effect on the basis of your very own personal identity. In the essay "On The Rainy River," the author Tim O'Brien tells about his experiences and how his relationship with a single person had effected his life so dramatically. It is hard for anyone to rely fully on their own personal experiences when there are so many other people out there with different experiences of their own. Sometimes it take the experiences and knowledge of others to help you learn and build from them to help form your own personal identity. In the essay, O'Brien speaks about his experiences with a man by the name of Elroy Berdahl, the owner of the fishing lodge that O'Brien stays at while on how journey to find himself. The experiences O'Brien has while there helps him to open his mind and realize what his true personal identity was. It gives you a sense than our own personal identities are built on the relationships we have with others. There are many influence out there such as our family and friends. Sometimes even groups of people such as others of our nationality and religion have a space in building our personal identities.
“Tim are you on father's side or sam’s”(Collier and Collier 33) Here are two generations Sam and Father, two sides patriots and loyalists, and 1 war. The predicament in this is that the war affects not only two generations but all generations. Tim is unsure what side to choose and both sides are pressuring him to choose a side. Also both generations try to pressure different generations to betray their family. Sam wants Tim to spy on people in Redding while Mr Heron wants Tim to deliver “business letters” while Sam and the Commissioner are in town. The sides will do anything at all cost to win the war and prove they are right. This is what war causes people being so caught up in being right sometimes they forget the original reason their fighting. These wars we fight are they worth it for all generations , do they help future generations advance in knowledge, does us make us happier. wars was never good for any generation especially when they
Tim O’Brien, the author of The Things They Carried, is still undecided of whether to doge the draft and lose the respect of his family and friends, or go to the Vietnam War and lose his life, in the chapter “On The Rainy River”. Elroy’s actions reveal his good qualities that help Tim make this important decision, without any words of judgment or criticism. Elroy’s actions reveal heroic qualities. He is a silent Observer who helps Tim overcome his fears.
When reflecting and writing on Eiseley’s essay and the “magical element”, I balk. I think to myself, “What magic?”, and then put pen to page. I dubiously choose a kiddie pool to draw inspiration from, and unexpectedly, inspiration flows into me. As I sit here in this little 10x30 foot backyard, the sky is filled with the flowing gaseous form of water, dark patches of moist earth speckle the yard, the plants soak up their scattered watering, and the leaves of bushes and trees imbue the space with a sense of dampness from their foliage. As my senses tune into the moisture that surrounds me, I fill Braedon’s artificial pond with water. I stare at the shimmering surface, contemplating Eiseley’s narrative, and the little bit of life’s wellspring caught in Brae’s pool. I see why Eiseley thought the most abundant compound on the earth’s surface is mystical.
A natural behaviour for humans is trying to relate to other’s points of view, one thing most people do not realize is that when you actually experience the event, you will have a different point of view versus trying to relate to it. Tim O’Brien, the author of The Things They Carried, had a completely different point of view on war than others who just watched it on the news. The main character and the stories in the book resemble Tim O'Brien's life in many ways, one of which is how Tim and the main character both oppose the war but other’s point of view about the war makes them conform and go to war anyways. .The Vietnam war, which is the basis of this book, had two opposing groups like all wars. The first was the opposition to U.S involvement in Vietnam. This group viewed the war to be a complete waste; They strongly believed that there was no reason to get involved in others problems, and it was a waste of U.S resources and troops. However, the People in favor saw U.S involvement as a way to protect human rights and found the war to be beneficial to our economy. Tim O’Brien was a part of the opposition group due to his belief that the war was pointless unless it meant something or if it was for a greater cause. There were many who saw the war from his point of view and fled and then there were others who tried to justify the war and convince him. Tim O’brien however was swayed to go to the war instead of doing what he truly wanted to do. Throughout the book O’brien will reproduce his experiences and try to show the effects of fear and why fear can be beneficial but could have consequences and how the war brings such fear on fearless men and how it affects them.
When examining On the Rainy River by Tim O’Brien from a reader-response perspective it becomes clear that contrary to popular belief courage does not come from engaging yourself in dangerous situations, it comes from not letting anyone come between you and your morals and beliefs. O’Brien found peace when he fled, and he felt miserable, like a coward when he caved in and went to war. Through careful analysis, my mind interprets the text in a way that shows how you are not brave for doing what you are forced to do.
Behind every war there is supposed to be a moral—some reason for fighting. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. O’Brien relays to the readers the truth of the Vietnam War through the graphic descriptions of the man that he killed. After killing the man O’Brien was supposed to feel relief, even victory, but instead he feels grief of killing a man that was not what he had expected. O’Brien is supposed to be the winner, but ends up feeling like the loser. Ironically, the moral or lesson in The Things They Carried is that there is no morality in war. War is vague and illogical because it forces humans into extreme situations that have no obvious solutions.