Year Of Impossible Sookan Character Analysis

In the book Year of Impossible Goodbyes Sookan changes immensely. She goes from someone who is afraid and fragile, to someone who is independent and proud of her accomplishments.

Sookan was a frightened little girl who had been told all her life that she was worthless and was truly starting to believe it. An example of this is shown when on page 30 she says, “Tears of anger, confusion, and frustration rolled down my cheeks. I cried until I could hardly breathe, tasting my own salty tears as they streamed down my face. For the first time, I did not like being a Korean child”(Choi 30). Here, it is noticeable that Sookan is bitter. She feels worthless, angry, frightened, but most of all she feels ashamed. Ashamed to be of Korean descent. Ashamed to be who she is.

Sookan began to get angry and that made her powerful. “I sat in helpless silence and watched the dawn break. The sun rise like any other day. It shone brightly, as if it knew nothing of our sadness. I felt the

She takes responsibility of Inchun and makes her way to the south without her mother. "Inchun started to cry and ask for the food. He tugged my skirt and kept crying, 'Nuna I'm hungry. Let me have some bread now'"(Choi 153). This quote shows how Sookan had to become the leader and take care of her younger brother. She has realized that she is, and has to be, strong. During the rest of that scene she gives her brother the remainder of the bread and leaves none for herself.

Sookan learned a valuable lesson, that she is priceless, and that her thoughts and opinions matter. She went from a very scared young girl to a powerful young woman in just a couple of years. When you look back on that girl in the start who was overly trusting and constantly whining, you can see the overpowering change. Sookan learns that you can't save everyone, that you can't trust everyone, and most of all you have to do many unimaginable things to save the ones you