Year Of Impossible Goodbyes Book Report

Throughout the book, Year of Impossible Goodbyes Spokane had a few key moments when she changed while being faced with the following situations. She clapped and cheered when a Korean boy spoke up against the Japanese, she distrusted the guide they had hired to take them across the border, and while escaping across the border she almost sacrificed herself so Inchun could be free. In these key moments of the book Sookan changed, maybe not for the better but it helped create her and keep her alive. After the sock girls were taken away Sookan was forced to go to a Japanese school. When there she had a Japanese name and was not allowed to speak Korean. For most of the day they would listen to propaganda but for another part they would make weapons and walls to fight the "White Devils." After a hard day of this in the relentless heat a boy spoke up. "The principle kept droning on and on about the white devils until suddenly one of the big boys shouted, 'Stop, stop, stop! Don't
you know that we will stab you bastards first! We'll help the Americans destroy you all! You killers!' Students gasped. But I clapped my hands in delight. I couldn't help myself." (80, 81 Choi). This is deadly for Sookan and her family. They are already known as rebellious so having her clap at such an evil statement could spell disaster. But it is also good. Sookan is starting to show her opinion and be separate from her family. Even if it is in a dangerous way. After Kisa had left and told them about the guide everybody was on edge. they were sad that Aunt Tiger and Kisa had to stay and they were nervous of what was there for them in the south. But Sookan had another feeling. She was scared of the guide. She did not trust him with her life. "We had to obey him unconditionally. Yet I feared we had entrusted our lives to a greedy farmer." (128 Choi) Had Sookan felt these thoughts earlier in the book she would have been able to confide Mother and Inchun so they could make a backup plan just in case. The final way Sookan changed was right on the border.
After walking for miles and miles and surviving on nothing but steaming corn Sookan and Inchun were ready to cross the border. They trusted a man at the train station. And before long they were running through cornfields to freedom. During their run they overcame many feats but the largest one was at the fence. Inchun was able to crawl under the fence but Sookan was to big. She was prepared to sacrifice herself and let Inchun leave her as long as he could get to freedom. "'Go inchun!' I urged. 'Flatten yourself out like a snake and slide through, then keep running. I will be right behind you.'" (164 Choi) Even though it never came to this the fact that she would sacrifice her life, with freedom so close so that Inchun would live on shows her growth from the beginning to end of the book. Throughout Year of Impossible Goodbyes Sookan changed at key moments in the book so she and her family could survive and she could grow as a
person.