Blog 2
My favorite story so far was definitely the third one, which was titled On the Rainy River. I felt like this story, though it wasn't about the war, was extremely important to the whole message of the book. First of all, it was the most relatable to the average reader because it was just about a regular guy, struggling with pressure and embarrassment from those around him, something everyone goes through. It also really showed O'Brien's growth and how he discovered himself out with that old man. Without this experience, he would've never gone to war and never written this story and I thought it was really interesting how he included it as it's own story with so much beautiful detail.
I agree! I feel like even if it isn't in a literal aspect, it is relatable in the idea of making decisions while fighting your emotions. Whether what he did was exaggerated or not, it clearly showed the wide range of feelings O'Brien struggled with and I found it pretty admirable of him to share that experience even though he still feels shame about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the chapter On the Rainy River was great, and brought in so much insight from the mind of someone who was drafted. O' Brien does a great job of describing his experience, and what was going through his mind at the time, and all the different interactions he has with Elroy. I also think that Elroy in part symbolises what you talked about in your post, the pressure and embarrassment that he would have to go through if he fled to Canada. Elroy acts as someone watching over O'Brien and guides him towards the path he was meant to be on.
ReplyDeleteI agree that O'brien wouldn't have gone to war without this experience, and the average person can relate to the stress and pressure of being drafted on a smaller scale. However I don't think the average person can fully relate to any of these stories the way O'brien can.
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