Fear in "on the Rainy River"

In O'Brien's story, "On the Rainy River" the protagonist of this novel, Tim O'Brien faces the fear of shame, as he tackles the challenge of whether to submit to the war, or run away from it. In the beginning of "On the Rainy River," O'Brien receives a draft notice asking him to join the war. He is unable to make a strong decision, and hesitates, and eventually ends up going to the border of Canada. There he is struck by the fear of shame, and realizes that if he doesn't go to war, he will put to shame his family, and himself. Therefore we know that it is not O'Brien's pride for his country but rather shame that pressurizes him to go fight in the Vietnam War. Throughout the novel the readers come upon many instances where fear of shame makes a man reluctant to fight in a dangerous war such as the Vietnam. In addition to O'Brien, many other characters in the book experience fear of shame, which as a result affects their peers. For example, Jimmy Cross joins the war because his friends join it. Therefore it is the fear of shame that leads Cross to join the war and this directs him to make bad decisions as the leader of the Alpha Company, and risk the lives of many of his peers. O'Brien faces fear from a personal experience as well as he experiences fear as a bystander. Tim O'Brien's decision to fight in the war reveals the fact that he is driven by the fear of shame along with many of his fellow soldier. This negatively influences all of the characters and causes them to participate in perilous actions.