4. Journal Entry "Rainy River"

The soldiers feel cowardly when they go to war, because to them running away is much more heroic. For Tim O’ Brien going to war would be giving into the government and the pressure from the town’s people. O’Brien wants to run, flee to Canada, but he feels he would be disgracing his family and his community. When O’Brien stays with an old man near the border of Canada they go out fishing on the river. Elroy Berdahl, the old man, was creating an opportunity for Tim to flee, but he “couldn’t make [him] self be brave.” He was embarrassed, and that was it. Tim O’Brien couldn’t run away, he couldn’t shame his family and so O’Brien “would go to the war- [he] would kill and maybe die because [he] was embarrassed not to.”