The story Dear John

Dear John is an endemic and heartbreaking story, which has a fiction story based on nonfiction events. This is a heart wrenching story was written by Nicholas Sparks. This novel was also made into a movie and was directed by Lasse Hallstorm. “Dear John” the letter read. “And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever”. There are two afflictive themes in this novel, love and war. The main characters John and Savannah began to develop a burning passion for each other after John helped Savannah retrieve her belongings after they had been accidentally knocked off the pier into the water.

At first, she saw him as a kind citizen but little did she know that she would fall into love the first two weeks of getting to know him. As like every other couple, they had their ups and downs and goodbyes became the harder and harder. Even tho both John and Savannah had hopes of being together in the future and beating the odds, their love was challenged. While John was still on active duty with the U. S Army and Savannah attending college the couple would exchange letters and have long cherishing phone calls on a pattern of days as promised.

Just wishing for the day that his first tour would be over so they could see each other again. They continued this for a few months, but Savannah began to give up on them. Towards the middle of the book, the theme war comes into play when John sees that the United States had been attacked on September 11th 2001. With that horrific occurrence, John decides to up his enlistment for another year serving his country proudly alongside his brothers. Savannah on the other hand had mixed feelings about this.

She was proud but also doleful because she would have to go through the separation for much longer than expected. After returning to the army for his second tour, Savannah began breaking the pattern of phone calls and letters. John was beginning to worry that Savannah had forgotten about him. He would write letters and call but get no response for days. Finally, he gets a letter but he soon comes to realize it’s not what he had been waiting for. Although Savannah loved him with all her heart, she still couldn’t bare the pain. She decides to break up with him and she goes her own separate way.

He knew the reason why,she loved another boy she longed knew, Tim. At this time, John realizes there isn’t only one war he’s involved in. Not shortly after, John receives another letter saying his father, a sufferer of autism, has died. He was put on an immediate flight home to attend the funeral, which had few people coming. This is when John’s heart and mind went back to Savannah, remembering the time he took her to meet his father and how good they got along. While reminiscing and cleaning out his father’s house. He comes to a realize that he needs to find her.

John discovers where she lives and goes to visit by surprise. While feeding her horses at her range, she sees John following her dog around the house and to where she is. She’s happy and hugs him. Whitin that evening, she invites him in, they talk and have dinner like old times, but John just doesn’t feel right because she’s now married to Tim. His jealousy gets the better of him and they argue. John and Savannah confess that they still have deep feelings for each other. Getting besides the point, John asks about Tim and comes to the knowledge that Tim has cancer.

Which continues to show that war is a constant theme. Savannah suggested that they go visit him at the hospital, where he was staying, because he “would enjoy it” even tho the last time Tim and John talked, it wasn’t ok good terms. While visiting, Savannah had left the room to get some air, Tim basically tells John that if he had died that he would give him his blessing to get back together with Savannah because he could still see the love that had for each other and that it is still so strong. This news to John was bittersweet.

Even tho Savannah is confused on her decisions and feelings, John knows he loves her more than anything in the world, he decides to say goodbye for good. Not willing to risk messing up Tim and Savannah’s relationship. He walks outside to get fresh air and catch up with Savannah in the hospital parking lot. John is done feeling confined about his feelings so he pours his heart out to her about everything he has ever dealt with or felt about her, the whole time during the on-off relationship,because he felt like she needed to know, gives her one last hug , one last kiss, then says goodbye.

With tears and heart breaking sorrow they watch each other go their own separate ways and try to figure out how to survive this life without each other. Overall, the main tones in the novel, war and love, are presented in many different occasions. Even tho the novel by Nicholas Sparks is fictional the feelings, tone, and theme are very much realistic. That being said, this novel has been the most enjoyable and touching, making it my favorite book.