Sexism In On The Rainy River 'By Tom O' Brien
“On the rainy river” is a short story that wonderfully depicts the showing of the time in 1968 where men were sent letters in the mail that drafted them into the war with a mentality that men are stronger and cannot show fear or emotion. These men had a feeling of shame and unmanly which imposed them to sexism towards the women in the society.
A 21-year-old man by the name of Tom O’Brien was drafted into the American War in Vietnam merely one month after graduating from college. Tom speaks of his journey of living with the shame of events that took place the summer of 1968. War to Tom is sickening and revolting; there was no unity or purpose. The 1960’s were a period of social disturbance with both the feminist and the civil rights movements occurring. In addition, the United States’ was divided by those who agreed and those who did not agree with the US’s involvement in the Vietnam war. When he received his inauguration, Tom was trapped and felt hopeless. “All around me the options seemed to be narrowing, as if I were hurtling down a huge black funnel, the whole world squeezing in tight. There was no …show more content…
“At night, when I couldn’t sleep, I’d sometimes carry on fierce arguments with those people…” (O’brien). Tom describes the people as blind, thoughtless and simple minded. He felt the people who were sending him off to war should go, not force him to go. Tom’s thoughts were to put your own flesh and blood on the line before you put someone else. These people did not understand his perspective on the subject, his civil rights or the governments postcolonial effect.
While the 1960’s were a tough time to society with the civil rights and feminist movements they took this out on males in the society. The males in the society were made to feel unmanly and weak. They must put their lives on the line and show their bravery and that they are in fact, not soft like the women in
A 21-year-old man by the name of Tom O’Brien was drafted into the American War in Vietnam merely one month after graduating from college. Tom speaks of his journey of living with the shame of events that took place the summer of 1968. War to Tom is sickening and revolting; there was no unity or purpose. The 1960’s were a period of social disturbance with both the feminist and the civil rights movements occurring. In addition, the United States’ was divided by those who agreed and those who did not agree with the US’s involvement in the Vietnam war. When he received his inauguration, Tom was trapped and felt hopeless. “All around me the options seemed to be narrowing, as if I were hurtling down a huge black funnel, the whole world squeezing in tight. There was no …show more content…
“At night, when I couldn’t sleep, I’d sometimes carry on fierce arguments with those people…” (O’brien). Tom describes the people as blind, thoughtless and simple minded. He felt the people who were sending him off to war should go, not force him to go. Tom’s thoughts were to put your own flesh and blood on the line before you put someone else. These people did not understand his perspective on the subject, his civil rights or the governments postcolonial effect.
While the 1960’s were a tough time to society with the civil rights and feminist movements they took this out on males in the society. The males in the society were made to feel unmanly and weak. They must put their lives on the line and show their bravery and that they are in fact, not soft like the women in