The year is 1968, and the Vietnam War is already 14 years underway. There is not a volunteer army, so the Selective Service System sends out a draft notice to all eligible males between the ages of 18 and 26. There were many ways to get out of the draft like having a disability, having a health condition, being a conscientious objector, being a student or choosing to flee to Canada. What would the feelings be of a young man with a bright future who just received a notice? This is what the author Tim O’Brien went through in his autobiographical short story “On the Rainy River”. The story is about O’Brien describing his feelings and emotions after receiving a draft letter, and his need to escape it. In the short story “On the Rainy River” by
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In the beginning of “On the Rainy River”, O’Brien talks about how he used to think that everyone had courage that they had built up over the years and could access it whenever they needed to when emergencies came up: “I would simply tap a secret reservoir of courage that had been accumulating inside me over the years” (1000). He thought that everyone had courage and could be used whenever the time came that it was needed. O’Brien soon realizes that courage is actually not so easy to come by when he is faced with the opportunity to escape the draft, and he can not do it. He thought that courage would help him flee, and that would be courageous of him to escape. When he decides not to jump he finds out that courage is harder to get than he thinks, it was not just there for him when he needed it, he had to find it himself. He believes that because he went to the war, that meant he lacks courage, was weak and not brave. O’Brien says, “I was a coward. I went to the war” (1016). He thought that escaping would be courageous and going to the war would be cowardly, and because he decided not to run away he was a coward. He himself believed that the fact he the opportunity to get away and he could not do it made him a coward. After everything Tim O’Brien went through, his beliefs on courage changed dramatically. He no longer believed that courage could be accessed whenever it was needed, but that he had to find it within himself and in times of need he would have to find the courage
In the beginning of “On the Rainy River”, O’Brien talks about how he used to think that everyone had courage that they had built up over the years and could access it whenever they needed to when emergencies came up: “I would simply tap a secret reservoir of courage that had been accumulating inside me over the years” (1000). He thought that everyone had courage and could be used whenever the time came that it was needed. O’Brien soon realizes that courage is actually not so easy to come by when he is faced with the opportunity to escape the draft, and he can not do it. He thought that courage would help him flee, and that would be courageous of him to escape. When he decides not to jump he finds out that courage is harder to get than he thinks, it was not just there for him when he needed it, he had to find it himself. He believes that because he went to the war, that meant he lacks courage, was weak and not brave. O’Brien says, “I was a coward. I went to the war” (1016). He thought that escaping would be courageous and going to the war would be cowardly, and because he decided not to run away he was a coward. He himself believed that the fact he the opportunity to get away and he could not do it made him a coward. After everything Tim O’Brien went through, his beliefs on courage changed dramatically. He no longer believed that courage could be accessed whenever it was needed, but that he had to find it within himself and in times of need he would have to find the courage