Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country is much more than just your typical war story. It does not focus on the gruesome and vivid horrors of being on the frontlines. But rather, it focuses on the effects the war has on the family and friends of the soldiers fighting. It is a book about growing up and finding ones true self. We read about a young girl name Samantha Hughes who lives with her Uncle Emmett and grandma, Mawmaw. Emmett is a Vietnam veteran who suffers from PTSD, and like we've seen is so many other cases, finds it hard to live a normal day to day life. Sam's father was also in the war but he never returned home. Sam's mother is a widow who eventually remarries and has a baby. She moves with her new family to Lexington and leaves Sam with Emmett and Mawmaw. This just briefly shows us how war not only affects those fighting in, but their families as well.
The setting and time is very important to this novel. It takes place is 1984 which is about 10 years after the war was over. This just goes to show that even 10 years after the war people are still struggling to live their lives normally. We also must take into consideration that, if it takes place is 1984 it is not told from personal experience in Vietnam. It is a story told by a girl who was affected by what happened but was not there.
Pop culture plays a large role in this book as well. Sam listens to Bruce Springsteen and The Beatles, both of which were very popular in the 80's. Sam and Emmett also watch MASH which is a show about a medical team in the Korean War. Even still, when Emmett watches it, it brings back bad memories from the Vietnam War. People used these as an escape mechanism. The music was a way to express their feelings without having to involve other people and the television show, although it brought back memories, helped to cope with their feelings as well. These were also common ground for both Sam and Emmett. It was something they had in common and something that brought them even closer together than they already were.
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Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country is much more than just your typical war story. It does not focus on the gruesome and vivid horrors of being on the frontlines. But rather, it focuses on the effects the war has on the family and friends of the soldiers fighting. It is a book about growing up and finding ones true self. We read about a young girl name Samantha Hughes who lives with her Uncle Emmett and grandma, Mawmaw. Emmett is a Vietnam veteran who suffers from PTSD, and like we've seen is so many other cases, finds it hard to live a normal day to day life. Sam's father was also in the war but he never returned home. Sam's mother is a widow who eventually remarries and has a baby. She moves with her new family to Lexington and leaves Sam with Emmett and Mawmaw. This just briefly shows us how war not only affects those fighting in, but their families as well.
ReplyDeleteThe setting and time is very important to this novel. It takes place is 1984 which is about 10 years after the war was over. This just goes to show that even 10 years after the war people are still struggling to live their lives normally. We also must take into consideration that, if it takes place is 1984 it is not told from personal experience in Vietnam. It is a story told by a girl who was affected by what happened but was not there.
Pop culture plays a large role in this book as well. Sam listens to Bruce Springsteen and The Beatles, both of which were very popular in the 80's. Sam and Emmett also watch MASH which is a show about a medical team in the Korean War. Even still, when Emmett watches it, it brings back bad memories from the Vietnam War. People used these as an escape mechanism. The music was a way to express their feelings without having to involve other people and the television show, although it brought back memories, it helped to cope with their feelings as well. These were also common ground for both Sam and Emmett. It was something they had in common and something that brought them even closer together than they already were.
In the epigraph, Mason uses Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics from one of his greatest songs, “Born in the U.S.A.” it says, “I’m ten years burning down the road/Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go.” Like mentioned earlier, it is obvious that people are still adjusting to the effects of the war and trying to get their lives back to normal even 10 years after the fact. After listening to this whole song, is seems as if Mason used it to express everyone’s emotions regarding the war.