In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason is not only a war novel; it is also a coming-of-age story for Sam Hughes. Sam is a young girl whose father was killed in the Vietnam War before she met him, and she has chosen to live with her veteran Uncle Emmett. It’s a coming-of-age novel because the reader follows Sam through many growing experiences, such as battling harsh rumors from the town about Emmett and her. She eventually comes to find herself and her family identity when she sees her father’s name as well as her own name on the Vietnam memorial. The reader watches Sam grow from a naïve, curious high school girl into a matured, informed person.
This novel is significantly different from all the other texts we’ve seen as it takes place over a decade after the war. This shows the strength of the effect which the war had on America. Years later, in another country, the war is still confusing and destroying relationships. The town that Emmett and Sam lived in was one which was educated on and highly aware of PTSD. It is not often that we see a town profiled that is so concerned with Veterans. Jim, a local Veteran is trying to gather up and generate support for the Veterans but it is an uphill battle. The town seems to whisper behind their backs and the veterans themselves cannot even get along. The setting of the book is important in this aspect because we come to see a new layer of difficulties that lay within the aftermath of the war.
The protagonist, Sam, is very interested in two cultural subjects, the war and music of the 60s. She is interested in the war first and foremost because of the presence of Emmett and the lack of her father in her life, but she also has a rare appreciation for the 60s band such as the Beatles. The music and TV references tie into the theme of war in the novel because it represents a disconnection between America’s current understanding of the war and the actualities of battle. Emmett and Sam watch M*A*S*H* together, and despite it being focused on the Korean War, Sam still looks at it as though it is the Vietnam War. Also, Sam and her friends idolize the patriotic song by Bruce Springsteen, despite their differing views on the Vietnam War. America was against the soldiers and their cruelty, while Sam sees eye to eye with them.
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In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason is not only a war novel; it is also a coming-of-age story for Sam Hughes. Sam is a young girl whose father was killed in the Vietnam War before she met him. She has chosen to live with her veteran uncle, Emmett. It’s a coming-of-age novel because the reader follows Sam through many growing experiences, such as battling harsh rumors from the town about Emmett and her. She eventually comes to find herself and her family identity when she sees her father’s name as well as her own name on the Vietnam memorial. The reader watches Sam grow from a naïve, curious high school girl into a matured, informed person.
ReplyDeleteThis novel is significantly different from all the other texts we’ve seen as it takes place over a decade after the war. This shows the strength of the effect which the war had on America. Years later, in another country, the war is still confusing and destroying relationships. The town that Emmett and Sam lived in was one which was highly educated on and aware of PTSD. It is not often that we see a town profiled that is so concerned with Veterans. Jim, a local Veteran is trying to gather up and generate support for the Veterans but it is an uphill battle. The town seems to whisper behind their backs and the veterans themselves cannot even get along. The setting of the book is important in this aspect because we come to see a new layer of difficulties that lay within the aftermath of the war. It is not just the big cities where the protestors were usually found but also the smaller towns.
The protagonist, Sam, is very interested in two cultural subjects, the war and music of the 60s. She is interested in the war first and foremost because of the presence of Emmett and the lack of her father in her life, but she also has a rare appreciation for the 60s band such as the Beatles. The music and TV references tie into the theme of war in the novel because it represents a disconnection between America’s current understanding of the war and the actualities of battle. Emmett and Sam watch M*A*S*H* together, and despite it being focused on the Korean War, Sam still looks at it as though it is the Vietnam War. The M*A*S*H* TV show amongst the other pop culture references represents how the American public gets delivered false information. The TV show made the war seem more like a light-hearted comedy than the ruthless, relentless battle it was.