A Year Of Impossible Goodbyes Character Analysis
In a Year of Impossible Goodbyes, Sookan changes from being little girl who relies on others, to a strong, brave girl who looks out for others. An emotional change is seen in three moments: when Sookan is by herself after Grandfather's death, when Sookan offers to help a woman up in need, and when Sookan takes charge of Inchun. These moments clearly show the change in consecutive order.
In the beginning, feeling saddened and helpless by Grandfather's death, Sookan returns to her room where she starts feeling self-pitied. "I went back to my room. I cried because I missed Grandfather. I cried because I felt so alone and scared and full of hatred for Captain Narita and those Japanese soldiers."(Choi 45). This is …show more content…
"My first thought was how lucky that baby was to be so close to his mother, but then I felt sorry for the harassed woman."(Choi). Sookan takes a courageous step by offering to help the woman. She opens up, showing that she is willing to come out of her shell and notice that she needs to defend herself. Nobody is there for her, therefore she must be strong for Inchun.
At the end, before they get questioned by Korean Communist soldiers, Sookan takes charge of Inchun. "While we sat waiting, I said quietly to Inchun, 'If they take us in separately and ask a lot of questions, just say that you don't know anything. Just say that all you know is that we were going to see our Grandmother in Yohyun. Tell them I know everything."(147). In the beginning, Sookan would have looked to others to tell her what to do, but now she takes charge herself and stays calm. Because her mother is unable to, Sookan takes care of Inchun, promising to always look out for him.
Through her journey on her own without her mother, she has to take care of Inchun. Because of it, Sookan has become more independent. She has learned how to defend and stand up for herself. She started as a quiet, helpless girl who relies on others, and becomes someone who can fend for
In the beginning, feeling saddened and helpless by Grandfather's death, Sookan returns to her room where she starts feeling self-pitied. "I went back to my room. I cried because I missed Grandfather. I cried because I felt so alone and scared and full of hatred for Captain Narita and those Japanese soldiers."(Choi 45). This is …show more content…
"My first thought was how lucky that baby was to be so close to his mother, but then I felt sorry for the harassed woman."(Choi). Sookan takes a courageous step by offering to help the woman. She opens up, showing that she is willing to come out of her shell and notice that she needs to defend herself. Nobody is there for her, therefore she must be strong for Inchun.
At the end, before they get questioned by Korean Communist soldiers, Sookan takes charge of Inchun. "While we sat waiting, I said quietly to Inchun, 'If they take us in separately and ask a lot of questions, just say that you don't know anything. Just say that all you know is that we were going to see our Grandmother in Yohyun. Tell them I know everything."(147). In the beginning, Sookan would have looked to others to tell her what to do, but now she takes charge herself and stays calm. Because her mother is unable to, Sookan takes care of Inchun, promising to always look out for him.
Through her journey on her own without her mother, she has to take care of Inchun. Because of it, Sookan has become more independent. She has learned how to defend and stand up for herself. She started as a quiet, helpless girl who relies on others, and becomes someone who can fend for