The Vietnam War In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

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Vietnam was a highly debated war among citizens of the United States. This war was like no other with regards to how it affected people on the home front. In past war’s the population of the United States mainly supported the war and admired soldiers for their courage. During the Vietnam War, citizens of the U.S. had a contradictory view then in the past. This dilemma of not having the support of the people originates from the culture and the time period. During this time period it would be the fourth time Americans went to war in that century which made it tough for Americans to give their supportS (Schlesinger 8). Most Americans did not know why the country was getting involved in Vietnam as well as what the United States’ agenda was. This dilemma ties into the short story, “On the Rainy River” which is a passage from Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried.
He talks about the time in his life that he is shameful of which he portrays as a type of confession about being a coward. The reason for the confession is that he debated and almost dodged the draft for the Vietnam War. “Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons” (O’Brien 38). The uncertainty that the people being drafted had with the United States agenda for the war was bewildering. The context of O’Brien’s fictional writing in the story has a certain context that is important to the story and with this background you can see Tim O’Brien’s assumed cowardliness in a different

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