Year Of Impossible Goodbyes Character Analysis

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Pages: 3

In the memoir Year of Impossible Goodbyes, Sookan changes from someone who shuts out her feelings and pretends the war is blurred and becomes someone who is just shy of great confidence and will take risks she wouldn't normally take. This change is seen in three moments: when Sookan was mourning the death of Grandfather, when Sookan goes to school for the first time, and when Sookan goes up to the checkpoint and talks to the soldiers even though she could have gotten severely punished. Ever since Grandfather's death, it made life difficult for the whole family. Sookan is beyond upset, but decides to dismiss it to become the stable family member. "Grandfather soon died soon after we left him... I felt like a different person. I felt so many conflicting emotions …show more content…
Now that she doesn't have the comfort of her grandfather and her mom isn't as strong as she used to be, boulders add to her shoulders and she becomes more expressive. Although she is scolded in school, she realizes for the first time that she has a true voice. Sookan and Inchun are longing for their mother, but at this point, no one is to be trusted. Yet Sookan took it into her own hands and took a risk by talking to the men at the checkpoint where they were once caught. "I looked at Inchun, quietly staring down at his feet, waiting for his big sister decide what to do next. I was ready to act, but I still didn't know how to approach them." (CHOI144) Sookan realizes she needs to take control since she is the oldest of her and her brother. She used to think before she spoke, but in this instance she needed to think fast. This has been her first real time being the just nearly confident person we all thought she couldn't be. Throughout this book we see a young girl go from shy to just less than confident. Sookan can now realize that she can make a difference in the world and has a say in any situation.