The Things They Carried On The Rainy River Essay - 812 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Tim O’Brien, the author of The Things They Carried, is still undecided of whether to doge the draft and lose the respect of his family and friends, or go to the Vietnam War and lose his life, in the chapter â€Å"On The Rainy River†. Elroy’s actions reveal his good qualities that help Tim make this important decision, without any words of judgment or criticism. Elroy’s actions reveal heroic qualities. He is a silent Observer who helps Tim overcome his fears.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;When Tim decided to leave his hometown of Worthington, Minnesota and drive almost five hundred miles to International Falls, Minnesota, he was unsure of what he was really doing. He knew he just had†¦show more content†¦Even though Tim didn’t talk much, Elroy listened when he did. Elroy was not much of a talker either. Tim says that â€Å"†¦ he [Elroy] had a way of compressing large thoughts into small, cryptic packets of language† (49-50). Often at night, after a long day of work, Elroy and Tim would sit down and play a game of Scrabble. Elroy would win every time they played. By sitting down and playing a game with Tim, even though there were no words being said, Elroy showed that he cared. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Elroy offered Tim money for the work he had done. He offered to pay Tim three hundred and seventy-five dollars. By offering Tim money, it shows that Elroy appreciates the hard work Tim has helped him with. Elroy and Tim came up with a price of two hundred and sixty dollars for his six nights of stay at the Tip Top Lodge including food. Elroy made Tim home cooked meals three times a day. After doing some math with the amount Tim owed for the six nights of stay, and the amount Elroy owed him for working, Elroy still thought Tim owed him one hundred and fifteen dollars. Tim would not accept this gift, but Elroy told him to take it and get a haircut. Tim did not take the money, so it was left sitting on the kitchen table all night. The next morning when Tim awoke, he found the envelope tacked to his door with the words â€Å"EMERGENCY FUND† on it. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;On the sixth and last day of Tim staying at the lodge, Elroy tookShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay : The Things They Carried Essay1189 Words   |  5 PagesPersuasive Essay: The Things They Carried Are moral standards in the eye of the beholder? According to one author, â€Å"we’ve seriously lost our way†, going on to state, â€Å"we are like mean adrift at sea without a compass† (Hulme). In literature as in biology, the mantra of form fits function applies and heightens a reader’s appreciation of a writer’s choice and how they contribute to a work of literature. In Tim O’Brien’s collection of short stories, The Things They Carried, the narrative, the experienceRead MoreTim O Brien s The Man I Killed 897 Words   |  4 PagesIn the twenty years following the Vietnam War, Tim O’Brien failed to share any stories from his experiences in Vietnam. Finally he decided to write a book that he titled, The Things They Carried, in 1990 where he details all of the struggles he experienced after being drafted into the Vietnam War. In chapter twelve, â€Å"The Man I Killed,† O’Brien details Tim’s uncertainty after killing his first Viet Cong soldier. As the soldier lay on the ground physically destroyed by a grenade that once resided inRead MoreAn Analysis Of Tim O Brien s Things They Carried1183 Words   |  5 Pagesqualities such as literary devices, imagery, and theme, and many more. Tim O’Brien’s Things They Carried depicts a fragmented stories about his and other soldiers’ experiences that occurred in the Vietnam War. 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Among the source of pollution the major pollution from Nonpoint source (NPS) was urban runoff and it has been established as aRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O BriensThe Things They Carried1156 Words   |  5 Pagesplaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.† By interpreting this quote, Stern says that no one can understand what it feels like for a man to have his mind torn apart by two equivalent forces that pull him apart in opposite directions inside. There was much underlying meaning and connection from Laurence Stern’s quote and to The Things They Carried. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’BrienRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1377 Words   |  6 PagesTyler Nooney Trafford P.6 The Things They Carried Essay The central theme and true meaning of courage is shown vividly in numerous instances throughout Tim O’Brien’s classic novel The Things They Carried. O’Brien’s novel begins with the courage of coming of age, along with the author’s loss of his innocence. Tim, the protagonist of this novel, goes through an incredible change in belief when he must choose to either run away from the Vietnam War or unwillingly join the bloody battle, of which heRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1039 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"My life is storytelling. I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead.† Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, was filled with embellished stories and memories of war veterans. O’Brien’s reasoning for writing that particular book was because he believed that while a memory can die with a person, written words are forever set in st one. In his book, War was every one of the soldier’s enemy; It did not matter which side they foughtRead MoreIn Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, he emphasizes a chapter on â€Å"The Man I Killed†, which900 Words   |  4 PagesIn Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, he emphasizes a chapter on â€Å"The Man I Killed†, which describes the characteristics of a young Vietnamese man in which O’Brien may or may not have killed with a grenade. The novel is not chronologically sequenced, which leaves more room for the reader to engage in a critical thought process that fully bridges the author’s mind to their own. In O’Brien’s chapter, â€Å"The Man I Killed†, he attempts to humanize the enemy in a way that draws little separation betweenRead MoreEssay about Tim OBriens War Stories 2191 Words   |  9 Pages O’Brien was sent to Vietnam where he served from 1968 to 1970 in an infantry unit. Upon returning from the war, O’Brien described his experiences in a series of publications and compiled them in a collection of short stories; his book The Things They Carried is considered to be a generational piece and his magnum opus. Throughout his stories, O’Brien blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction in recounting his Vietnam era war stories by using contemporary war diction, unique narrative style and