Year Of Impossible Goodbyes Analysis

Sookan changed in many ways through the book Year Of Impossible Goodbyes including when she learned that grandpa was tortured, when the war ended, and when mother was taken away. Sookan’s first change occurred when grandpa was dying. She took off his socks to wipe his feet and noticed that he had no toenails. "But no toenails! At first, I thought it strange, but then it occurred to me" (Choi 44). This shows how Sookan was excited to wash his feet, but when she discovered the Japanese had tortured him she became worried about him and saw him as a different person. Secondly towards the middle of the book Sookan and her family get news that the war was over and the Japanese had left. "'The war is over' he blurted out. 'The war is over! Japan has
lost'" (85). Sookan was scared and anxious that the Japanese would split her family up, but when she learned the war was over she was thankful and relieved. Lastly close to the end of the book Sookan was trying to escape with her mom and brother, but suddenly the Russians grabbed mom and pulled her into an interrogation room. "He handed it over to a Russian soldier. I saw them pull mother out of line. Inchun and I stood frozen as we watched” (133). Sookan was very hopeful and anxious to escape, so when mother got taken away she lost her hope and became very sullen. In conclusion Sookan has become a better person by going through the easy and hard times in life, but overall she has acquired multiple life skills and become a stronger woman.