In The Things They Carried, the story that has meant the most to me so far is in the chapter On a Rainy River. It's the story about Tim getting the letter about being drafted into the war and trying to flee to Canada so he doesn't have to go, and then coming back shortly after he leaves to serve his duty. The reason this story meant a lot to me, is because I think it's the most powerful one I've read so far. The chapter starts out with "For more than twenty years I've had to live with it, feeling the shame, trying to push it away..." -page 37. Tim explains to us this story is embarrassing and he feels shameful for it, and that he never tells it to anyone. This already shows a sense of bravery and honor since he's owning up to the coward person he was years ago. However the main reason I think this story is so powerful is because, at the end of his journey, he can see Canada, he can swim there within minutes, freedom is at his fingertips. "And what is so sad, I realized, was that Canada had become a pitiful fantasy." -page 55. This is when Tim decides he's going to stay and serve in the war. I think this shows a sense of bravery and morality because it's showing even when the easy way out is seconds away, our morals can overcome our actions and make us take the more difficult path.
So far in this story, the character that sticks out to me the most is Rat Kiley. He's always telling stories and messing around and finding the fun or laughter in all situations, even through out the war. In my mind, hes portrayed as the most positive minded character in the book so far. However he's cracked once (that we've seen) when his best friend Curt Lemon died. Something inside of him snapped, and he took his anger out by continuously shooting a baby water buffalo. This shows the real person inside of him. He's not all just fun and laughter; he cares deeply about his friends and family, and it also shows that even the strongest of souls can be broken every once in a while.
I too enjoyed that story of Tim fleeing to Canada. He could have taken the easy way out like so many others have in the past. You are right though, Tim shows courage and bravery by staying. He realizes too I think that it is duty as a U.S citizen to stay and fight, even if he does not believe in the war.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaitlyn. I actually felt those two stories you referenced stuck out to me as well. The part where Rat Kiley tortured the buffalo really stuck with me and I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I read it. I also liked the chapter with Tim going to Canada, as I felt I could relate to a lot of his anxiety and overthinking scary situations.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the chapter on a rainy river as well. It really shows how much he didn’t want to go to war because he didn’t believe in it. He had the chance to leave and to avoid going to war. He was so conflicted on whether or not he should do it, but in the end he went to war. It let us know about how hard the choice was to go to war. We don’t think about these things because we have never been faced with a decision like that, so thats why I believe this chapter was so impactful to the story.
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