Year Of Impossible Goodbyes Essay

Sookan changes in many ways throughout the book Year of Impossible Goodbyes when faced with the following situations: When Sookan, Inchun and their Mother all sit by Grandfather revisiting the times before and during the beginning of the war, when Sookan and Inchun are blessed with the man with the broom and his kindness, and finally, is the final gruelling stretch over the border. Though Sookan’s Grandfather is very ill and and about to pass away, she learns many things that made her feel more hopeful and understanding than ever before. The times before the war were light and hopeful, and Korean culture spread across the country with pride. “‘I (Mother) had always hoped and prayed that I would be able to show you these pictures when we were …show more content…
Grandfather had his Korean pride taken away, and was even tortured for being Korean, but he got through it. What Mother said earlier is important for Sookan to know because she needs to be reminded that there wasn’t always wartime and that hopefully soon times will be like when she was a kid. Sookan also learns that wartime could be much worse and that she should think of the positives in life and the bright future ahead of her. Next, Sookan and Inchun, alone with no adult figure get sent a message of sheer hope from a very unlikely figure, the man with the broom who works at the train station. He helped Sookan and Inchun to safety, no matter it risked his own. “‘You’ve come this far. You have to go just a bit further to cross the Thirty-Eighth Parallel. Then things will be better for you.” (Choi 154) These directions save Sookan and her brother, and they are extremely grateful for them. This man’s sheer kindness helps Sookan have a more positive mindset and enough motivation to get over the border, even in a time with so little hope. Sookan and Inchun have finally made it to the south despite all the hardships they