On the Rainy River

On the rainy river discusses O'Brien's issue with going to war. In this chapter O'Brien recieves his draft notice faced with the fear of whether to go to war or not. With the pressure of the community and their expectations of wanting their own individuals to represent their nation at war, O'Brien worries of the embarrassment he will inflict on his family and the loss of respect that he will gain as an individual if he was to avoid these circumstances. "I was drafted to fight a war I hated. I was 21 years old. Young, yes, and politically naive, but even so the American war in Vietnem seemed to me wrong. Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons. I saw no unity of purpose, no consensus on matters of philosophy or history or law." (pg40.) As you can see through this quote O'Brien much like many other young men of this time period, are in disagreement with the war. From there O'Brien does what he feels he will truely regret, fleeing the nation for Canada to escape the war. He goes up north making due with working with Elroy a proprietor, shortly realizing he would go to war because he was embarrassed not to. "All those eyes on me-the town, the whole universe-and I couldn't risk the embarassment....I couldn't endure the mockery, or the disgrace or the political ridicule....I could make myself be brave. It had nothing to do with morality. Embarrassment, that's all it was." (pg59).

"I was a coward. I went to war." As displayed through the examples in the book and the scenario that O'Brien faced this quote is explained. He felt he was a coward, not in terms of his bravery to go to war, but because he gave up his morals against war so he wouldn't have to face the disgrace delivered by the community.