What does the river symbolize in the story on the Rainy River?
While it is not raining in “On the Rainy River,” the name of the river connects the narrator’s prewar dilemma with the moral dilemma faced during the monsoon and the shelling that sucks Kiowa into the muck. The Rainy River comes to symbolize courage.
What is the message of on the Rainy River?
Lesson Summary A short story from that collection, called ‘On the Rainy River,’ gives us the backstory on how Tim, our protagonist, became one of those soldiers. Major themes of this story include the Vietnam War, courage, right and wrong, and memory and truth.
What do the pigs symbolize in on the Rainy River?
The pig plant symbolizes the violence with which he is confronted and the chaos of his life getting out of control.
What does Elroy symbolize in on the Rainy River?
O’Brien uses Elroy to show that many Americans were dubious of the war’s necessity and benefit. He also serves as a reminder of what a hero can look like to Tim, a quiet but strong man who allows others to make important choices for themselves.
Why hasn’t o’Brien ever told the story on the Rainy River?
Why hasn’t O’Brien ever told the story “On the Rainy River”? Why does he decide to do so now? He thought it would only cause embarrassment for all of them. He is doing ithe now because he wants to relieve at least some of the pressure on his dreams.
Why does Tim O’Brien describe Elroy Berdahl as the person who saved his life?
Tim O’Brien describes Elroy Berdahl as the person who saved his life. Why? He gave him the space and time he needed to think about the war, the draft, and his true feelings all without ever saying a word about dodging the draft or the war. Tim O’Brien says “I was a coward.
Who is the antagonist in on the Rainy River?
Elroy Berdahl was also a very important character in the story. He helped Tim make his decision whether to go to the war or not. He was a protagonist. The Vietnam war acted as a antagonist in the story.
What does O’Brien say to the woman about his story?
What does O’Brien say to the woman about his story? He wishes it weren’t true. He wants her to finish it for him. He wishes it were a love story.
How did Elroy Berdahl help O Brien?
Elroy accepted O’Brien’s help in preparing the cabins for the winter, and he taught O’Brien how to split and stack firewood. On their last day together, Elroy took O’Brien fishing on the Rainy River.
What is the moral of war stories according to Mitchell Sanders?
O’Brien asks him what the moral of the story is and, listening to the quiet, Sanders says the quiet is the moral. O’Brien says the moral of a true war story, like the thread that makes a cloth, cannot be separated from the story itself. He says that though war is hell, it is also many other contradictory things.
How do you know a true story?
Ken Burns’s 6 Tips for Telling a True Story
- Respect the drama of truth.
- Marry fact and faith.
- Honor the collective, not the objective truth.
- Be prepared to take poetic license.
- Embrace manipulation.
- Tolerate contradiction.