In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason is not only a novel about the Vietnam War but it is a novel about the journey to find one’s identity whether lost in war or newly discovered as a young women is growing. Bobbie Ann Mason began writing this novel in 1981, right about the time that the young children of the Vietnam veterans were coming of age just as the character Samantha Hughes is in the novel.
In Country describes the life of Sam as she is trying to discover who her father was and how he died; he was an American soldier who died before she was born. In trying to find out who her father is, she is also trying to discover who she is herself and how she relates to this war that she does not understand. Sam’s uncle, Emmett, is a Vietnam veteran, who has returned home and has PTSD. Sam and Emmett become close, but Sam cannot understand why Emmett cannot get a job and why he sometimes aimlessly drifts off into space. It is not until the end of the novel that we see Sam realize that the war has had a huge impact on his life and indirectly on her own. These two characters discover their identities through their journeys together, especially Sam learning about herself through her uncle.
Mamaw, Sam’s grandmother, joins Sam and Emmett on a trip to Washington D.C. from their hometown in Kentucky to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They are taking this trip in the summer of 1984 and the novel was published in 1985. The time is important because it represents a generation of lost men and women who are lost in the memories and secrets of the Vietnam War that affected so many of their parents or relatives. As these men and women are “coming of age” they are questioning who they are and where they came from; more importantly who were those men who fought and were forever lost in Vietnam.
The role of popular culture is an important aspect to this novel because it gives the novel a natural flow and a sense of comfort when traveling through this journey of self discovery. The constant references to McDonalds, Holiday Inns, and Country Kitchens show that society has started to forget about the affects of the Vietnam War. It shows that the next generation will not understand the full impact of the war because the natural flow of life has continued; life is normal. But for those like Emmett, life is not normal; he is not connected to the pop-cultural references in this book. He is disconnected to this world just as Sam is disconnected to his world.
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In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason is not only a novel about the Vietnam War but it is a novel about the journey to find one’s identity whether lost in war or newly discovering yourself as a young women. Bobbie Ann Mason began writing this novel in 1981, right about the time that the young children of the Vietnam veterans were coming of age just as the character Samantha Hughes is in the novel.
ReplyDeleteIn Country describes the life of Sam as she is trying to discover who her father was and how he died; he was an American soldier who died before she was born. In trying to find out who her father is, she is also trying to discover who she is herself and how she relates to this war that she does not understand. Sam’s uncle, Emmett, is a Vietnam veteran, who has returned home and has PTSD. Sam and Emmett become close, but Sam cannot understand why Emmett cannot get a job and why he sometimes aimlessly drifts off into space. It is not until the end of the novel that we see Sam realize that the war has had a huge impact on his life and indirectly on her own. These two characters discover their identities through their journeys together, especially Sam learning about herself through her uncle. Their journeys are intertwined as they both are dealing with being lost in themselves and feeling no sense of belonging. Sam sums up their joint feelings when she says, “You can’t get lost in the United States, I wish I could though. I wish I’d wake up and not know where I was.” They both are lost in their own versions of “In Country” and through Sam’s discovery of who her parents are and how Emmett is she finds herself.
Mamaw, Sam’s grandmother, joins Sam and Emmett on a trip to Washington D.C. from their hometown in Kentucky to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They are taking this trip in the summer of 1984 and the novel was published in 1985. The time is important because it represents a generation of lost men and women who are lost in the memories and secrets of the Vietnam War that affected so many of their parents or relatives. As these men and women are “coming of age” they are questioning who they are and where they came from; more importantly who were those men who fought and were forever lost in Vietnam.
The role of popular culture is an important aspect to this novel because it gives the novel a natural flow and a sense of comfort when traveling through this journey of self discovery. The constant references to McDonalds, Holiday Inns, and Country Kitchens show that society has started to forget about the affects of the Vietnam War as well as act as mediums for self discovery for Sam. It shows that the next generation will not understand the full impact of the war because the natural flow of life has continued; life is normal. But for those like Emmett, life is not normal; he is not connected to the pop-cultural references in this book. He is disconnected to this world just as Sam is disconnected to his world. They become more connected through pop culture.