O 'Brien's On The Rainy River'

The Vietnam War as historians describe it was a lament of history, driven only by unconditional hatred between opposing government ideologies and the allure of false patriotism. With the government ensuing conscription, the people were left divided on the matter, polarized and further extrapolated by the frequent exchange of harsh criticism between sides. It was a fight between opposite sides of a moral compass, a clash of social philosophies and the people who pledged neutrality were forcefully drawn in through drafting. Nevertheless, it was a pseudo civil war that would end without victors. Veterans came back broken bodied, minded and shunned by the non-supporters, draft dodgers met fierce criticism from the locals, in the end, as Neville …show more content…
He was an observer as Tim described him, over-watching his actions as if he were a godlike figure. Elroy Berdahl was a deus ex machina to O'Brien's history, attempting to guide his decision through opportunity. "It struck me then that he must've planned it. I'll never be certain, of course, but I think he meant to bring me up against the realities, to guide me across the river and to take me to the edge and to stand a kind of vigil as I chose a life for myself" (O'Brien 56). It was an opportunity to decide how his fate is woven, a decision that left O'Brien in a moral split. He was in swimming proximity of the Canadian shoreline, describing the features with striking detail in the form of visual imagery. This only exemplifies Tim's exhilaration during that very moment. However, Elroy's efforts were shortcoming, as O'Brien was fiercely bound to his home country by his own