The novel In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason a unique way of portraying the Vietnam War unlike anything we have discussed before. In this novel, the author uses a young teenage girl named Samantha Hughes who is trying to find out who she really is, and where she came from. The novel takes place in Kentucky in the early 1980’s. Sam’s father was a soldier during Vietnam and was killed in action. She never knew him, but has heard many stories about him. With little support from her mother, she lives with her uncle Emmett, who suffers from PTSD as well as defects to his body by chemicals used in the war.
One of the problems that Sam deals with growing up through this novel is her identity. First, there is what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Her mother insists that she go to college at the University of Kentucky, but Sam would prefer Murray State. On p. 55 Sam says, “ I told you I didn’t want to go to UK. I’m going back to work at the Burger Boy.” Not only does this show her indecision on her next move in life, but it also shows Sam being naïve. She mentions how it’s not necessarily going to get you a better job. Her mother has the experience of working like a slave because she didn’t go to college, but Sam does not bother with her warnings. Whether she wants to believe it or not, her mother has gone through many of the same situations as Sam, providing valuable advice. Also, to top off her lack of knowledge about herself, Emmett brings to her attention that Samantha was her name because of her father, not her mother. This brings controversy as she calls her mother. She says on p. 56, “You never told me anything-about him, or about Vietnam. You always wanted to forget it, like it never happened. I think that’s why you gave up on Emmett.” Not only is Sam going through a tough time of finding her identity, she now has to deal with lies from her mom which only make it worse. Throughout the novel she refers to her mom as Irene. This is interesting, because not only is she without a father, but her relationship with her mother is strained too. Vietnam did not only affect soldiers.
Sam’s closest relative, Emmett, is dealing with PTSD and post war health issues which makes Sam very interested in learning about Vietnam. With Emmett’s heartburn and acne, she claims it is because of exposure to Agent Orange. Emmett avoids the idea though, trying to avoid Vietnam at all costs. Also, he has headache issues that could be related as well. When they go toward the creek with Sam and Lonnie, Emmett freaks out. Emmett says,” Hurry, I can’t stand this.”(p. 38) He was completely freaked out by this swamp because it was very similar to Vietnam. This shows the Vietnam version of the novel because it directly affected Emmett, as opposed to the indirect affect toward Sam. Mason does a good job of showing the vast problems and situations created by the Vietnam War.
The setting of the novel is very important because it takes place in an area where everyone knows about the affairs of everyone else. Since Emmett dealt with severe PTSD problems following the war with some of his veteran buddies, the whole area blamed him for these problems. In an area where there is not a high amount of traffic and commotion, it is able to see PTSD problems more clearly. When there is less to do, smaller things that may not have been noticed before come to center stage. The entire area felt the PTSD that Emmett was also feeling. Also, the time setting is interesting because it is a few years after the war, so there have been developments like books and films on the war. Information is more accessible. Even though no book is as good as a story from a veteran itself, information is easy to access so it makes Sam’s problem a little bit better. The only problem is with all this information; it is still hard to change the minds of stubborn veterans.
Throughout the novel, many times it is mentioned about Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming tour Born in the USA. And even though Sam and her friends talk about how much they love the song, it is contrary to the feeling following the Vietnam War. Protesters were not proud of their soldiers for being from the USA, but rather, they scolded and berated them as if they did something wrong. It is ironic that the people are so crazy over a song about being patriotic, when just ten or so years earlier, they were not only disappointed, but indeed angry at their soldiers. In fact, they should be proud of what these soldiers did, not mad because it didn’t turn out as expected.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The novel In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason has a unique way of portraying the Vietnam War unlike anything we have discussed before. In this novel, the author uses a young teenage girl named Samantha Hughes who is trying to find out who she really is, and where she came from. The novel takes place in Kentucky in the early 1980’s. Sam’s father was a soldier during Vietnam and was killed in action. She never knew him, but has heard many stories about him. With little support from her mother, she lives with her uncle Emmett, who suffers from PTSD as well as defects to his body by chemicals used in the war.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems that Sam deals with growing up through this novel is her identity. First, there is what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Her mother insists that she go to college at the University of Kentucky, but Sam would prefer Murray State. On p. 55 Sam says, “ I told you I didn’t want to go to UK. I’m going back to work at the Burger Boy.” Not only does this show her indecision on her next move in life, but it also shows Sam being naïve. She mentions how college is not necessarily going to get you a better job. Her mother has the experience of working like a slave because she didn’t go to college, but Sam does not bother with her warnings. Whether she wants to believe it or not, her mother has gone through many of the same situations as Sam, providing valuable advice. Also, to top off her lack of knowledge about herself, Emmett brings to her attention that Samantha was her name because of her father, not her mother. This brings controversy as she calls her mother. She says on p. 56, “You never told me anything-about him, or about Vietnam. You always wanted to forget it, like it never happened. I think that’s why you gave up on Emmett.” Not only is Sam going through a tough time of finding her identity, she now has to deal with lies from her mom which only make it worse. Throughout the novel she refers to her mom as Irene. This is interesting, because not only is she without a father, but her relationship with her mother is strained too. Vietnam did not only affect soldiers.
Sam’s closest relative, Emmett, is dealing with PTSD and post war health issues which makes Sam very interested in learning about Vietnam. Emmett’s heartburn and chloracne, Sam says, is because of exposure to Agent Orange. Emmett avoids the idea though, trying to avoid Vietnam at all costs. Also, he has headache issues that could be related as well. When they go toward the creek with Sam and Lonnie, Emmett freaks out. Emmett says,” Hurry, I can’t stand this.”(p. 38) He was completely freaked out by this swamp because it was very similar to Vietnam. This shows the Vietnam version of the novel because it directly affected Emmett, as opposed to the indirect affect toward Sam. Mason does a good job of showing the vast problems and situations created by the Vietnam War.
The setting of the novel is very important because it takes place in an area where everyone knows about the affairs of everyone else. Since Emmett dealt with severe PTSD problems following the war with some of his veteran buddies, the whole area blamed him for these problems. In an area where there is not a high amount of traffic and commotion, it is able to see PTSD problems more clearly. When there is less to do, smaller things that may not have been noticed before come to center stage. The entire area felt the PTSD that Emmett was also feeling. Also, the time setting is interesting because it is a few years after the war, so there have been developments like books and films on the war. Information is more accessible. Even though no book is as good as a story from a veteran itself, information is easy to access so it makes Sam’s problem a little bit better. The only problem is with all this information; it is still hard to change the minds of stubborn veterans.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, many times it is mentioned about Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming tour Born in the USA. And even though Sam and her friends talk about how much they love the song, it is contrary to what people think it stands for. The president at the time liked the song because he felt like it was supporting the troops and the war. The only problem was, according to the lyrics, it is an anti-war song talking about all the bad things that happen during the war. These people sing it patriotically, when in fact; it is not patriotic at all. It is funny that people only listen to a few lines, like Born in the USA, and make their decision on a song. Often times, there is a deeper meaning, like Born in the USA.