Sam is searching for answers mostly about her dad and vietnam and if Emmet has agent orange. Emmet tells her that it was her fathers idea to name her samantha and she gets so excited. she asks her mom about it and she does not really answer any of sams questions. She has to look in the old letters her father wrote to her mother to get her answers and when she finds them they are disapointing, she finds out samantha was an afterthought and her father wanted a boy. She is obsessed with the diea that Emmet has agent orange, she is asking everyone if they see it to and if they believe it exists. Most people deny it but some of the other vets agree. Sam apears to be searching for answers to other peoples problems and lots of questions about her father and the war. She is really searching for herself. Her mother wants her to leave Hopewell and go to collage and loonie wants her to stay so they can be together. Sam is confused and she goes searching for pretty much anything to distract her from her boring life and worrying about Emmet. She finds some answers. She gets her car and she sees Emmet smile at the end of the book, she seems to understand more about the war after hanging around with Tom for a while. She does not find what she thinks she is looking for which is Emmet having agent orange, having people fix it, and her perfect image of her dad that does not exist. She accepts Emmet and herself more at the end of the book.
Sam is searching to uncover the truth about the Vietnam War and what happened to her father. She then finds out from her uncle Emmet, who is possibly suffering from a poison known as Agent Orange which was used in the war, that her father originally wanted a boy so he called her Sam for that reason. Sam seems to spend a lot of time focusing on Emmet and whether or not he's been poisoned, receiving mixed messages from veterans and friends. All of this is very heavy for Sam so she tries to find ways to get away from all of it. Personally I feel that she spent most of her time not looking for answers about her dad but more about Emmet.
I think thats interesting Nate. She is searching for answers about Emmet because he is there, right infront of her. I think she is trying to fix Emmet so she does not lose another father figure in her life. It is obvious that what is hurting her is the loss of her father and to lose emmet would send her over the edge.
Ultimately, Sam is looking for the truth about herself. She wants to know what happened to her father, as well as whether or not her uncle has been poisoned by agent orange, a chemical that was used very heavily in the Vietnam War. She is looking to find the truth about members of her family in order to gain a better understanding of who she is and where she comes from. Sam is disappointed to learn that her father wanted a boy, and possibly feels dejected, thinking that her father might not love her just because she is a girl. She worries about her uncle Emmet because he is the closest link to her father that she knows, and losing him is like losing knowledge of her father. It is for this reason that she scrambles to find as much information about her father as she possibly can before she loses her uncle. Also, being that Emmet is her father's brother, it is likely that he knew him the best and can send along the messages he thinks his brother would have liked Sam to know. Emmet takes on the seemingly vicarious role of Sam's father, and so losing him would be like losing her father again - as well as a little piece of herself.
I would agree with Pat in that above all else, Sam is truly on a journey to discover herself. Though it only shows in the form of questions about her father, her Uncle, and the Vietnam war, what she truly wants is to know who she is and where she came from. Growing up in a situation such as Sam’s with no father figure and very little help from her mother, her confusion about her identity is stronger than that which another adolescent may possess. Many people rely on their family as a way to know their roots, and who they are. This is a comfort that has scarcely been accessible to Sam. For this reason, she strives to find out the answers about other members of her family in the hope that these will lead to the truth about herself. By looking through her mother’s room, she hopes to find any small answer to who she really is. When she finds her father’s letters and finds out where her name comes from, she is searching for a starting point. The reason she wants to know who she was named after so badly is because she wants to know what kind of person to become. This is the reason why it upsets her so much when she cannot even find her name in the bible, because it leaves her with no starting point and she is just as lost as she was to begin with. Though she does not find what she is looking for by the end of the novel, the journey to adulthood is one that often never ends. Instead of finding out who she is and who she is meant to be, she finds understanding and acceptance that she may never have all the answers.
As Sam is sort of an inbetween person, she has a lot of questions about herself. She is in-between adulthood and childhood, in between times of war and times of peace, and inbetween finding answers in the past and finding answers for her future. She has really doesn't have a strong guide throughout this time. She searches for answers to questions she has about her father, her uncle and the Vietnam war (the past) but beneath these questions lie the true search for herself (her future).
Though she does not find all the answers she is looking for her journey continues, she accepts this, and moves forward with the knowledge that though she may never find all the answers, this is okay.
Sam is searching for answers mostly about her dad and vietnam and if Emmet has agent orange. Emmet tells her that it was her fathers idea to name her samantha and she gets so excited. she asks her mom about it and she does not really answer any of sams questions. She has to look in the old letters her father wrote to her mother to get her answers and when she finds them they are disapointing, she finds out samantha was an afterthought and her father wanted a boy.
ReplyDeleteShe is obsessed with the diea that Emmet has agent orange, she is asking everyone if they see it to and if they believe it exists. Most people deny it but some of the other vets agree. Sam apears to be searching for answers to other peoples problems and lots of questions about her father and the war. She is really searching for herself. Her mother wants her to leave Hopewell and go to collage and loonie wants her to stay so they can be together. Sam is confused and she goes searching for pretty much anything to distract her from her boring life and worrying about Emmet.
She finds some answers. She gets her car and she sees Emmet smile at the end of the book, she seems to understand more about the war after hanging around with Tom for a while. She does not find what she thinks she is looking for which is Emmet having agent orange, having people fix it, and her perfect image of her dad that does not exist. She accepts Emmet and herself more at the end of the book.
Sam is searching to uncover the truth about the Vietnam War and what happened to her father. She then finds out from her uncle Emmet, who is possibly suffering from a poison known as Agent Orange which was used in the war, that her father originally wanted a boy so he called her Sam for that reason. Sam seems to spend a lot of time focusing on Emmet and whether or not he's been poisoned, receiving mixed messages from veterans and friends. All of this is very heavy for Sam so she tries to find ways to get away from all of it. Personally I feel that she spent most of her time not looking for answers about her dad but more about Emmet.
ReplyDeleteI think thats interesting Nate. She is searching for answers about Emmet because he is there, right infront of her. I think she is trying to fix Emmet so she does not lose another father figure in her life. It is obvious that what is hurting her is the loss of her father and to lose emmet would send her over the edge.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, Sam is looking for the truth about herself. She wants to know what happened to her father, as well as whether or not her uncle has been poisoned by agent orange, a chemical that was used very heavily in the Vietnam War. She is looking to find the truth about members of her family in order to gain a better understanding of who she is and where she comes from. Sam is disappointed to learn that her father wanted a boy, and possibly feels dejected, thinking that her father might not love her just because she is a girl. She worries about her uncle Emmet because he is the closest link to her father that she knows, and losing him is like losing knowledge of her father. It is for this reason that she scrambles to find as much information about her father as she possibly can before she loses her uncle. Also, being that Emmet is her father's brother, it is likely that he knew him the best and can send along the messages he thinks his brother would have liked Sam to know. Emmet takes on the seemingly vicarious role of Sam's father, and so losing him would be like losing her father again - as well as a little piece of herself.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Pat in that above all else, Sam is truly on a journey to discover herself. Though it only shows in the form of questions about her father, her Uncle, and the Vietnam war, what she truly wants is to know who she is and where she came from. Growing up in a situation such as Sam’s with no father figure and very little help from her mother, her confusion about her identity is stronger than that which another adolescent may possess. Many people rely on their family as a way to know their roots, and who they are. This is a comfort that has scarcely been accessible to Sam. For this reason, she strives to find out the answers about other members of her family in the hope that these will lead to the truth about herself. By looking through her mother’s room, she hopes to find any small answer to who she really is. When she finds her father’s letters and finds out where her name comes from, she is searching for a starting point. The reason she wants to know who she was named after so badly is because she wants to know what kind of person to become. This is the reason why it upsets her so much when she cannot even find her name in the bible, because it leaves her with no starting point and she is just as lost as she was to begin with. Though she does not find what she is looking for by the end of the novel, the journey to adulthood is one that often never ends. Instead of finding out who she is and who she is meant to be, she finds understanding and acceptance that she may never have all the answers.
ReplyDeleteAs Sam is sort of an inbetween person, she has a lot of questions about herself. She is in-between adulthood and childhood, in between times of war and times of peace, and inbetween finding answers in the past and finding answers for her future. She has really doesn't have a strong guide throughout this time. She searches for answers to questions she has about her father, her uncle and the Vietnam war (the past) but beneath these questions lie the true search for herself (her future).
ReplyDeleteThough she does not find all the answers she is looking for her journey continues, she accepts this, and moves forward with the knowledge that though she may never find all the answers, this is okay.
ReplyDelete