A Boy at War

The sounds of gunfire and artillery rounds continue into the night, and Adam is unsettled because it is impossible to tell from where the sounds originate. Adam goes outside and brings in the rifle. His mother trusts him with it because Adam’s father taught him how to safely handle it. Instead of sleeping in his room, Adam lies across the doorway of his mother’s room, positioning himself as a first line of defense for her and Bea, who is sleeping in the bedroom’s alcove. He is restless, tormented by the sights and sounds of the crisis he endured, but he finally succumbs to his exhaustion, waking the following morning. His mother tries to maintain optimism, suggesting now that the turmoil has subsided, they will hear something from Adam’s father. She says she can feel that his father is alive. She attempts to retain some semblance of normalcy, making breakfast as she customarily does. When Adam turns on the radio, they are greeted by the voice of President Roosevelt, delivering the speech that would become one of the most famous in American history. Calling Sunday, December 7 “a date which will live in infamy,” Roosevelt confirms for the entire world, especially those who don’t understand the firsthand reality of what Adam has seen, that Japan initiated an attack on the United States.