"In Country" by Bobbie Ann Mason has a very different and new approach to the Vietnam War. The reader, gradually finds out about the Vietnam War, through Sam Hughes and her interaction with her Uncle Emmet Smith and his veteran friends. However the reader, not only gets a picture of Vietnam, but also a picture of a teenagers curiosity and mental growth. The book has many contributing factors to the main story of Vietnam. A love story, the story of struggling veterans and a lonely, small, town. It also analyzes the popular culture which, in the sense of timing, has an important role in the novel.
The story and context of the novel could simply be described by a quote by Emmet Smith: " Sam's got Nam on the Brain.". Throughout the book we follow Sam investigate the Vietnam War which has left visible inprints on her uncle and has caused the death of her father. Other than her deep interest in the war, and its effects, the reader also whitnesses her love life and can follow the teenagers life at a turning point, where she has to grow up and make crucial decisions like her higher education. The book also portrays her relationships with her mother and uncle.
Emmet and his veteran friends are very common examples of war veterans. Confusion, unsocial behaviour and emptiness is a major part of their lives. His lack of communicating and establisihing healthy relationships, financial and psychological problems that haunt him portray the effect of the war and its never ending agony.
The effect of capitalism and pop culture on the American Lifestyle is represented throughout the novel. We can see such symbols as Pepsi and McDonalds are constantly seen in the novel and represent the cultural changes in the United States especially in the 1980s and the increased consumption and its effects on Hopewell and its society. One of the examples that could be given is the daily breakfasts at McDonalds.
The novel "In Country" by Bobbie Ann Mason is a novel which analyzes the life of a teenager that is affected by war, relationships and pop cultural changes and shows the decisions she takes as a result of these factors.
"In Country" by Bobbie Ann Mason has a very different and new approach to the Vietnam War. The reader, gradually finds out about the Vietnam War, through Sam Hughes and her interaction with her Uncle Emmet Smith and his veteran friends. However the reader, not only gets a picture of Vietnam, but also a picture of a teenagers curiosity and mental growth. The book has many contributing factors to the main story of Vietnam. A love story, the story of struggling veterans and a lonely, small, town. It also analyzes the popular culture which, in the sense of timing, has an important role in the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe story and context of the novel could simply be described by a quote by Emmet Smith: " Sam's got Nam on the Brain.". Throughout the book we follow Sam investigate the Vietnam War which has left visible inprints on her uncle and has caused the death of her father. Other than her deep interest in the war, and its effects, the reader also whitnesses her love life and can follow the teenagers life at a turning point, where she has to grow up and make crucial decisions like her higher education. Throughout the book, we see Sam turn from a teenager into a women who has followed a journey which led her to learn as much about herself as about her father.W can truly see her grow into a woman. The book also portrays her relationships with her mother and uncle.
Emmet and his veteran friends are very common examples of war veterans. Confusion, unsocial behaviour and emptiness is a major part of their lives. His lack of communicating and establisihing healthy relationships, financial and psychological problems that haunt him portray the effect of the war and its never ending agony.
The effect of capitalism and pop culture on the American Lifestyle is represented throughout the novel. We can see such symbols as Pepsi and McDonalds are constantly seen in the novel and represent the cultural changes in the United States especially in the 1980s and the increased consumption and its effects on Hopewell and its society. One of the examples that could be given is the daily breakfasts at McDonalds.
The novel "In Country" by Bobbie Ann Mason is a novel which analyzes the life of a teenager that is affected by war, relationships and pop cultural changes and shows the decisions she takes as a result of these factors.