Rainy River

In the story "On the Rainy River" the narrator, Tim, receives his draft notice and attempts to leave the country and head to Canada. He doesn't make it to Canada, but stays at an inn and befriends the innkeeper, Elroy Berdahl. While fishing in the river, Elroy seems to give Tim the opportunity to decide to swim to Canada or turn back. Tim stays in the boat. At the end of the story he says "I was a coward. I went to the war." What do you think he means by that?

i think that he was a coward in the sense that he failed to take the more difficult path. not that going to war was easy but the decision was already made for him because he was drafted.

I think Elizabeth is right. He was a coward because I think it would have taken a lot of guts to run away, protest, and be a deserter. Funny how by going to war, you can actually be a coward.

It is very interesting how the author manipulates our perceptions and challenges us to see what it means to be a hero or be a coward. It seems like such a gray area where there should just be right or wrong. I think that comes back to the authors means of mixing fact with fiction to get us to question ourselves in order for the reader to understand the complexity of what the soldiers felt. He puts the readers in the shoes of the soldiers and the paths aren't always clear (or easy or right) but he succeeds in bringing us closer to the confusion of the war.

Absolutely, going to war was the coward's choice in this case because it was easier than 1. having to explain why he decided not to go to war, 2. taking the heat for not going, 3. finding something else to do with his time/life if he didn't go to war, and perhaps even 4. dealing with flak from his friends or people he knew that did go to the war.

I think too, that not making the decision was the cowards choice. It's much easier to do what people have told you to do or to follow the leader and not make the choice. Not that I think he is at all a coward, I think he was afraid of the unknown and at that point, going to war was more of a certainty than what would happen if he ran. So, to Tee-tuhm's number 3 point, I think the uncertainty of what else he would do would've been the brave choice.