A Boy at War

Imagine what the contents of Davi’s “I’m Proud to Be an American” essay might have been. What might Davi have written about? What aspects of his personal experience would he have included? How might he have defined what it means to be an American? If Adam were to write an essay on the same topic, how would his examples and reasons differ from Davi’s? What might be the same across both essays?

The USS Arizona is now a naval cemetery. As such, it will never be raised from the bottom of the harbor; it is a memorial site maintained by the National Park Service. Examine how Adam’s connection to the Arizona as his father’s final resting place drives his reluctance to leave the island. Explain how what he saw and what he thinks must have happened to his father on the day of the attack shapes this view.

Consider the ways in which Marilyn deviates from the rigid order her husband imposes on the family, such as her lightheartedness in overseeing Adam’s room inspection. How would you describe Marilyn? How does she turn out to be different than Adam once thought? How does she typify the traditional military officer’s wife of mid-20th-century America, and how might she be different?