On The Rainy River

Through his piece, “On the Rainy River,” author Tim O’Brien uses varied sentence structure to portray an dissatisfied and stressed tone, by interrupting long-winded thoughts and tangents with sharp and poignant realizations to express his apprehension surrounding his escape to Canada after being drafted to the Vietnam War. O’Brien exemplifies this when he states, “Getting chased by the Border Patrol- helicopters and searchlights and barking dogs – I’d be crashing through the woods, I’d be down on my hands and knees - people shouting out my name - the law closing in on all sides - my hometown draft board and the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It all seemed crazy and impossible” (O’Brien 919). One can note how the author allowed himself