On the Rainy River by Tim O'Brien

On the Rainy River is a short story about a young man that gets drafted to go to the Vietnam war during 1968. He is completely against the war and doesn't want to go. Instead of going, he thinks up the plan to go to Canada. For awhile the plan is just stirring in his head, but then one day at work, he decides to execute it. For awhile he is just driving as far away as he can get. When it gets dark and he starts to get tired, he finds a place called the Tip Top Lodge. The owner lets him stay for six and even has him working around the lodge. On the last day, the owner, Elroy, takes him out fishing. During their fishing trip, Tim has a hallucination. When the hallucination is over with, he knows that he has to go back and go to the war because he doesn't want people to think badly of him, or that he is a coward. 

Tim is confused about whether or not he should go to the war.

This is the Vietnam flag. The story take place during the Vietnam war.

In the story, Tim comes across the Tip Top Lodge. He works for the guy that owns it. This is where a big chunk of the story takes place.

During this time, Tim is looking back on himself in 1968. He is writing a letter to his parents about how he is sorry that he never found the courage to tell them about him running away to Canada.

Tim worked at a pig declotting factory over the summer, even though he hated blood. This is an example of irony.

Since it was during the Vietnam war there were draft cards. Tim didn't want to go to war when he received one.

Instead of going to the war, he had thought about making his way to Canada.

Elroy Berdahl gave money to Tim for helping him around the Tip Top Lodge.

Tim and Elroy went fishing, and during this time Tim had a hallucination and a choir with bright purple robes was there.

To try to escape from going to the war, Tim ranaway and headed towards Canada. He was stuck between his two choices.

Elroy took Tim fishing and this is were he realized that he needed to go to the war even though he was afraid of dying.

Tim mentions the Gobbler Café. He didn't want people to think badly of him, this is one of the main reasons why he decides to go to the war.

This picture represents courage. The cowardly lion stands for Tim. He didn't have courage and that is why to started to run away to Canada.

This street sign stands for the two ways that Tim can go, either to the war or Canada where he is headed.

 

In the beginning of the story, Tim tells us that he has never told anyone this story before so we can pull from that, that he is a secretive character.