Year Of Impossible Goodbyes Analysis

In the memoir Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi, Sookan changes from someone who is scared and oppressed, and becomes someone who is strong-willed and determined. As the story plays out, this change is shown in many moments, but three are when grandfather dies, when the Japanese leave Korea and the war ends, and when their mother is separated from them.

When Sookan’s grandfather dies at the beginning of the book, it shows how dependent she is on her grandfather. She is extremely devastated, and can't think rationally, all because of his death. Although she turns like this, she is able to pull it together for her brother’s sake. She puts on a strong facade and presents to her brother that she is a strong older sister. “Embarrassed
Sookan has to mature very fast, otherwise her and her brother will never make it to the border. She also has to make sure they are finding enough food and water, as well as places to sleep. “For three days Inchun and I searched for mother near the marketplace, sleeping in the barn each night and surviving on the corn that we earned from babysitting.”(Choi 143). This quote shows Sookan found a way to get food and shalrter, even if it was hard in the crowded city. This took a lot of grit and determination, as for most of the story, her and Inchun are provided for. Sookan takes her opportunity to get food, and finds somewhere for her and Inchun to sleep, showing how much more mature and determined she is.

In the book Year of Impossible Goodbyes, Sookan goes through a lot of different situations that change her from a scared, oppressed little kid to a determined and strong-willed big sister. The ways she responded to Grandfather’s death, the Japanese leaving Korea, and her mother’s absence are all different, and she changes more with each one. If Sookan hadn't changed like this, she and her brother never would have been able to escape to South