Besides being just another war novel, In Country, by Bobbie Ann Mason can be seen as a book about growing up in the post Vietnam era, the effects of the war on veterans, a love story, and in general about a post war America.
The book takes place in Hopewell, Kentucky during the early 1980’s. The war has been over for over five years, and the people who were not affected by the war directly are starting to get over it, or at the very least are getting back to the way things were. That is why there is so much miscommunication between the characters, and overall people just not understanding each other, the veterans especially. The place in which they live is similar to most places where soldiers came from. A majority of the soldiers came from these rural, small town America, type places, and the characters in this book are no different. I believe that Mason chose this setting because it can be any Vietnam veteran that she is talking about, and not just one or two specifically.
Over and over again we see references to pop culture in the book. I think that the author includes these because the story is about a young girl growing up in America, and the pop culture is a heavy influence on her, whether it is from watching M*A*S*H, or listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. Most of these popular culture references tie into the war in some manner. People were very vocal in this period of time, and that contributed to how Sam grows up.
When they all finally make I tot the Vietnam Memorable, I think that Sam is finally really able to connect with the veterans, especially Emmet and her father. Overall, I think that this is just the story of a young American girl trying to find some answers all while growing up and trying to live a normal lifestyle.
Besides being just another war novel, In Country, by Bobbie Ann Mason can be seen as a book about growing up in the post Vietnam era, the effects of the war on veterans, a love story, and in general about a post war America. It is seen trough the point of view of a young girl who is coming of age in an important time in American history.
ReplyDeleteThe book takes place in Hopewell, Kentucky during the early 1980’s. The war has been over for over five years, and the people who were not affected by the war directly are starting to get over it, or at the very least are getting back to the way things were. That is why there is so much miscommunication between the characters, and overall people just not understanding each other, the veterans especially. The place in which they live is similar to most places where soldiers came from. A majority of the soldiers came from these rural, small town America, type places, and the characters in this book are no different. I believe that Mason chose this setting because it can be any Vietnam veteran that she is talking about, and not just one or two specifically.
Over and over again we see references to pop culture in the book. I think that the author includes these because the story is about a young girl growing up in America, and the pop culture is a heavy influence on her, whether it is from watching M*A*S*H, or listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. Most of these popular culture references tie into the war in some manner. People were very vocal in this period of time, and that contributed to how Sam grows up.
When they all finally make it to the Vietnam Memorable, I think that Sam is finally really able to connect with the veterans, especially Emmet and her father. One of the most important pieces of the book is when Sam is looking at the wall, and sees her name among the others who were lost in the war. Not only does she see her name, but due to the material of the wall, she would also see her face, like any other person visiting the wall. This part shows that everyone was effected by the war, and we can’t do anything about it. At the end of the book, we see Emmet sitting at the wall with a smile on his face. He has finally reached a place where he can fit in and can connect with the others that understand him. Overall, I think that this is just the story of a young American girl trying to find some answers all while growing up and trying to live a normal lifestyle during the post war culture.