Summary and Analysis

On the Rainy River, by Tim O’Brien, is a short story about a young man in the late 60’s, just out of college, preparing for grad school at Harvard, and full of aspirations. One afternoon the young man receives a draft letter telling him he will be going to a war he does not approve of or believe in. Without telling his parents the young man goes about his life contemplating his options, go to war, or run to Canada. While working at the slaughterhouse one day, the young mans burden becomes to heavy and he hastily packs his things, writes a letter to his parents, and heads for Canada.
Just miles from the Canadian border the young man seeks shelter at a fishing lodge on the Rainy River, which separates the U.S. from Canada. Here the young man meets the owner of the fishing lodge, an elderly gentleman with a quiet wisdom. Over the course of the young mans six-day stay he befriends the old man, helping him with routine chores during the fishing lodges off-season. Without telling the old man of his reasons for being there the young man continues to struggle with the thought of crossing the border. In all of his wisdom the old man sees the young mans struggle and puts two and two together. One day the old man takes the young man out fishing on the Rainy River. When the boat stops the young man realizes he is 20 yards from the Canadian shore. All his thoughts about crossing the border become a harsh reality and he realizes he can’t do it, ultimately returning home and going to war.

This story depicts one mans struggle with making the decision between right and wrong. In this case right and wrong was decided by society, not by God or personal beliefs” you were a treasonous pussy if you had second thoughts about killing or dying for plain and simple reasons” (O’Brien 45). It also conveys the embarrassment of man who is ashamed at letting society dictate his life and not having the courage to do what he believed was right” what embarrasses me much more, and always will is the paralysis that took my heart, a moral freeze”, “I would go to war-I would kill and maybe die-because I was embarrassed not to” (O’Brien57 and 59). The young man was given two choices, go to a meaningless war and kill or be killed, or run to a foreign country and leave behind all he has ever loved and known. On the one hand it was against his beliefs to kill especially for an unknown cause or reason, and on the other hand society would deem him a coward and a traitor if he fled, not to mention dishonoring his family. When confronted face to face with his decision to run all he could see was all of societies characters, either ridiculing him or ashamed of him ultimately forcing his decision to go to war” I couldn’t endure the mockery, or the disgrace, or the patriotic ridicule”(O’Brien 59). The Irony is, he goes to war so society won’t deem him a coward, but ends deeming himself a coward for going” I survived, but it’s not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to war.”(O’Brien 61).
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