Snow In August Themes

Improved Essays
The late 1940’s in Brooklyn, a time of division and unity, a time of hope and despair. The (ADJECTIVE) effects of WWII swirled through citizen’s daily lives like the first chill of winter, which is where Michael Devlin’s story begins in Pete Hamill's novel Snow In August. Following Michael through the next few years of his life in this unique setting, Hamill tells the tale of his coming of age. In the course of one book, Michael Devlin turns from a innocent and childish boy, to a mature, wise beyond his years adolescent. Many aspects of a story can impact how a character develops, such as actions, dialogue, and conflict. The feature that has the biggest impact on Michael in Snow In August is his environment. The environment Michael was surrounded …show more content…
The surrounding atmosphere of Brooklyn at the time created opportunities for Hamil to incorporate triumphs and challenges for Michael. These experiences shaped him effectively throughout the text, in ways only a character's surroundings could. Michael’s environment was essential in his development. Growing up in Deerfield has given similar outcomes, yet being completely different than 1940’s Brooklyn. People here didn’t face a multitude of environmental hardships like Michael did. In the Chicago suburbs late 20th and early 21st century, racism and anti-semitism were not major issues. A person would never be scared to walk down the streets, worried a gang like the Falcons would pop out of nowhere and beat them up. However, many of Deerfield’s current students are facing different difficulties as they approach young adulthood, that wouldn't have been possible in Michael’s situation. Bullying, especially the cyber and social types, are a huge challenge for adolescents in our society. One small event can have an impact on the development of a person. Similarly to Michael Devlin’s account, the details of our surroundings, both big and small, shape us into who we

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