Dear John

This novel frequently questions what duty means, who and what people have duties, and what sacrifices must be made in the process. Most obviously, we see duty through the scope of John and his military duty. Duty, for John, is more than a contract but a responsibility to himself and his fellow soldiers. John explains,

[…] I’d grown up in the previous three years. […] you’re forced to learn the most important life lesson, and that’s the fact that you have to live up to your responsibilities, and you’d better do it right. When given an order, you can’t say no. It’s no exaggeration to say that lives are on the line. One wrong decision and your buddy might die (18-19).

To fulfill this duty, they must also sacrifice for each other. For John, that meant sacrificing who he was for whom he could grow to be.

However, after meeting Savannah, John’s priorities change. At the end of their time together, John promises Savannah he will return to marry her, and Savannah responds, “Well, then you have to promise that you’ll come back for me when you get out of the army. I can’t marry you if you aren’t around” (133). To fulfill this promise, he must leave to complete his commitment to the Army before taking on his new responsibility to Savannah. As the couple learns firsthand, there are sacrifices along the way. After 9/11, John feels compelled to continue his service to his country, even while he still believes in his future with Savannah. John explains, “I was bound by the twin ties of friendship and responsibility. I knew my men, I cared about my men, and the thought of abandoning them at a time like this struck me as impossibly cowardly” (177). John’s duty to his men and his country in the present outweighs his future responsibilities at home as a potential husband to Savannah and his father. If he had chosen to leave, he would be sacrificing a part of himself.

Duty is not only framed in terms of the military or the war, as the other characters in the novel must face their duties and make sacrifices. For John’s father, his duty is to his son; although John struggles with his father, he eventually realizes the sacrifices that his father made to raise him. John reflects,

He was my father, and he’d done his best. I knew that now. And when at last I closed the book and set it aside, I found myself staring out the window, thinking how proud I was of him, while trying to swallow the lump in my throat (128).

John realizes that his father fulfilled his duty as a father, even if it looked different than John imagined it would be. This newfound insight helps him to repair his relationship with his father.

For Savannah, her duty ultimately comes after her marriage to Tim. She has many responsibilities as a wife, especially after Tim’s illness. She has a duty to him as a wife and to remain faithful; she is responsible for keeping the farm running as the only person who can work. She also has responsibility for Alan as a caregiver, especially as Tim’s illness worsens and the chance of his death heightens. Savannah explains,

‘For the last six months, all I’ve done is feel bad. I wake up every day nervous and tense and angry and frustrated and terrified that I’m going to lose the man I married. That’s all I feel until the sun goes down,’ she went on. ‘Every single day, all day long, for the past six months. That’s my life right now, but the hard part is I know it’s only going to get worse. Now there’s the added responsibility of trying to find some way to help my husband. Of trying to find a treatment that might help. Of trying to save his life‘ (254).

By fulfilling her duty as Tim’s partner, Savannah sacrifices a chance to be with John, the man she loves passionately, after he briefly comes back into her life.

Ultimately, John must sacrifice his dreams and expectations about relationships. He pictured a future with Savannah but must surrender his dream to give her the life she chose—one with Tim. He must also sacrifice what he thinks a good father is and accept his father for who he is.