Norman Carried a Diary, Which

Norman carried a diary, which suits his personality because he was gentle person before the war. It would make sense that a sensitive man would like to record what was happening. Kiowa carried an illustrated New Testament because he was a Christian and it would come as some relief to him during difficult times. Henry carried extra rations because he was a big man and would probably never want to worry about getting hungry. Dave carried a toothbrush because he practiced field hygiene. Ted carried tranquillizers because he was afraid of what would happen to him during war. These men needed to carry something to ease their anxieties and fear regarding the war and what works for one man may not work for another; it was survival

The intangibles they carried include:

All the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing -- these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carry shameful memories, They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained . . . Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor . . . It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were too frightened to be cowards. (O'Brien 21, 22)

This weight is just as compelling as the weight we cannot see because it is psychological, wearing on the men day and night.

The most unlikely people Tim sees on the Rainy River are a seven-year-old boy, a sixteen-year-old kid, he sees his parents, a cheerleading squad, a marching band, Abraham Lincoln, LBJ, Huck Finn, and Linda. He sees these visions because he is facing an incredible turning point in his life. Should he decide to go to Canada, he will forfeit his right to see these people ever again. Not going to war also meant cutting off all ties with the only life he ever knew. Leaving his life behind was more than he could bear.

The last two sentences of "Rainy River" are powerful because after choosing not to go to Canada, Time realizes the cowardly thing to do was go to war. He admits he survived the war but it was far from a happy ending for him and for the rest of his days, he will wonder if going to Canada would have provided him with happier times or at least less pain and anguish. He thought he was defending his country and being the brave one by going to the war but after getting there and seeing how messed up everything was and experiencing the damage it can do to a man, it would have been more courageous to seek a different life somewhere else. These sentences run counter to what most people say about war. War is often glamorized and most often glamorized by those who do not have to fight in war. Politicians often build up rhetoric for war to make men feel as though they are doing the country a great favor sacrifices their lives and their minds when they fight for their country. There is no doubt fighting for one's country is an honorable thing to do, perhaps one of the most honorable things to do; however, it is not fair to build up the glamour of war and ignore the gore. It is not fair and this is why Tim feels as though he was a coward when he decided to go to the war.

The irony in the titles of the chapter "Friends" and Enemies" is the fact that in "Enemies," we see Lee's true nature when he admits he stole the knife in the first place. If Lee and Dave were truly friends, Lee would have never let Lee suffer like he did. While Lee had endured terrible physical pain, Dave was enduring amore severe mental anguish. This is something that would not heal without the two making some sort of reconciliation. Dave, had he been a true friend, would have approach Lee and talked it out instead of letting things eat away at Dave's mind. He never liked Dave in the first place, which is why he took his knife and he was more than happy to watch him suffer. In "Friends," the two seemed to reached a meeting of the minds but the end of the story illustrates how something between these friends was not right. Had the two been true friends, Dave would have been saddened by the news of Lee's death, not relived.