Laura+B

Laura Berry March 18, 2010 Dear John Analysis **Plot Overview:** In __Dear John__ by Nicholas Sparks, Savannah and John had fallen in love in just two weeks. Savannah had spent her summers at her family’s house in South Carolina and John was on his summer leave with his autistic father just a few blocks down. When John had gone to retrieve Savannahs dropped purse from the ocean, they both knew that they would soon be inseparable. Savannah had made John discover aspects of his life that he had never known and they both helped each other grow. They knew that saying good bye was just around the corner and that they soon would have to pull themselves away from each other. As a way to feel connected, they would put their thumbs to the moon, because no matter where you are in the world the moon will never be bigger than your thumb. Once John had gone back to the army they had decided to write each other letters to get to know each other better and to stay in touch. They had written each other for years until John hadn’t received one back from Savannah. Once she had finally written back to him, it was a break up letter saying that she had found somebody else. John was completely heartbroken and decided to stay longer in the army instead of going home. When he went home for his father’s death, he had run into Savannah and immediately all of their feelings for each other had rushed back. However neither could have acted on it because Savannah had married Tim, a family friend who was dying of cancer and needed her to take care of him. To help out Savannah and Tim, John sold his father’s coin collection to give them money for his treatment. On Tom’s death bed, he tells John to make Savannah happy and to marry her. When John went to go see Savannah he stood out on a hill by her house and couldn’t bring enough courage to go in and see her. Standing there so shyly, Savannah comes out of her house to put her thumb to the moon, just like old times. //Savannah: //Savannah had started as a young adult who just wants to save the world. As the book carries on her love for others and their disabilities just blossoms incredibly. She had always given up her needs to help others and it was always in their best interest, not hers. //John:// John had used to be a rough tough guy who had no heart. After joining the army he had reformed his life, and after meeting Savannah he was a completely new man. He had turned into a sweet, sentimental guy who began to feel for others instead of just caring for himself. //Tim:// Tim was a family friend of Savannah who had always treated Savannah like a father. He had fallen in love with Savannah but knew she would never love him like the way she had loved John. He wasn’t the jealous type and he had to be very dependent on others because of his illness. // 1. //// “No matter where you are in the world the moon in never bigger than your thumb.”  // The first night that John and Savannah had met they were out a bonfire. When it had gotten dark they were both admiring the moon and how big and bright it was. John had then said this and it had connected them throughout the years he was in the army because no matter where he was, it had allowed them to have something in common and feel like they were together. // 2. //// "I love you, Savannah, and I always will," I breathed. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You were my best friend and my lover, and I don’t regret a single moment of it. You made me feel alive again, and most of all, you gave me my father. I'll never forget you for that. You're always going to be the very best part of me. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but I have to leave, and you have to see your husband." As I spoke, I could feel her shaking with sobs, and I continued to hold her for a long time afterward. When we finally separated, I knew that it would be the last time I ever held her. I backed away, my eyes holding Savannah's. "I love you, too, John," she said. "Good-bye." I raised a hand. " // John had said this to Savannah when he had seen her again after she had ended things with him. He was expressing to her how he had felt about her and still feels. This part of the book had proved that both of them had still felt so much for each other but couldn’t do anything about it. // 3.   ////  "I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart."  // John had written this as he was away in the army and it shows how much stronger they had connected through their letters to each other and that they love was still growing no matter how far apart they were.  If you enjoyed this book you would also enjoy other books written by Nicholas Sparks. I would recommend __The Wedding__ and __The Notebook.__ __The Wedding__ is about a middle ages married couple who has lost their spark throughout the years of their marriage. The husband isn’t the romantic type, just like John, but he works hard to try and show his wife how much he loves her. The romantic novel will leave you on your toes and will have you turning the page to see what happens next. Another novel that is similar to __Dear John__ is __The Notebook__. __The Notebook__ is about a young teenaged couple, Allie and Noah, who falls in love and is completely inseparable. They are separated, just like Savannah and John, after the summer ends. They see each other after years of their romance however Allie is engaged but that doesn’t stop them from rekindling what they once had. This story is filled with romance and will leave you questioning who Allie will end up with.
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