Blog 10 LW

In Country besides being a war novel is most importantly a coming of age story. The protagonist, Sam, is on a constant search to find herself by desperately seeking answers to her questions about the war. She delves deep into her past by constantly asking Irene, Emmett, and other vets about what the war was like and about her father. As she learns more and more about these subjects, she finally begins to understand why her family sheltered her from the truth. However, her journey is frustrating, as she spends most of the novel blaming her father and Emmett for the way they acted, when she had no idea what they had been through.

The time and setting of In Country is all too important in conveying its message. It takes place in a small town called Hopewell in Kentucky, in the 1980’s when the Vietnam War Memorial was constructed and completed. The name of the town is ironic because the small town represents a place of little opportunity. Sam toys with the idea of leaving town like her mother had because she refuses to be stuck there. She constantly thinks about her friend Dawn and how her life will go nowhere being married with a baby. She loses all interest in Lonnie and becomes obsessed with getting a car so she can escape one day. Hopewell is also a symbol for Emmett’s lack of hope. In this small town, everyone knows Emmett and cannot understand his lack of drive and his life that seems to be frozen in time.

This novel takes place when the Vietnam War Memorial was completed. The most pivotal event in the book was at the end when Sam, Emmett, and Mamaw take a road trip to see the Wall. This seems to mark the end of Sam’s journey because she, like the rest of the country, finally realizes that the men who fought in this war deserved to be remembered and honored. She finally has a connection with her father, and Emmett seems to be relieved from the pain he has suffered for fourteen years.

Mason litters the novel with hundreds of references to popular culture, from television programs to song lyrics to Pepsi Cola. Especially with regards to music, in Vietnam one of the only signs of home for the soldiers was American music playing on the radio. Mason references Bruce Springstein’s Born in the U.S.A a lot. This is a song that resonated with a lot of veterans as it was a shot at the U.S. government and the war itself. Emmett and Sam’s fascination with the Korean War television show, M*A*S*H, is what inspires Sam’s curiosity about the war in Vietnam. She and Emmett bond over watching hours upon hours of the show. In Country is much deeper than a war novel; it is a story of love, hardship, and growing up.