Sam s Lack of Developing Her Own Character
Bobbie Ann Mason opens In Country with two lines of Bruce Springsteen’s song “Born in the U.S. ... The plot line includes the life of Sam Hughes a girl greatly affected by the Vietnam War. ... Therefore she constantly concentrates on the war and the effects it had on the people around her including Emmett’s case of Agent Orange and Tom’s inability to have an erection. She chooses to watch television shows that are based on war, for instance M*A*S*H, and listen to music that was popular in the sixties. She occupies her life with old war stories and other people’s problems in order to fulfill her time. Because of the Vietnam War and the environment that surrounds her, Sam has not yet developed into her own person. Sam’s inability to create her own person is mainly caused by the war which engulfs her. Although the war has been over for some time, the topic is always on Sam’s mind.