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Discussing The Theme Of Change In 'Be Safe I Love You'

785 Words4 Pages

Ellie Poulsen
English Honors p4
Group Novel Essay
April 24, 2023

The Wars of Change Within

The ravages of war and the change life brings, affects more than what is on the outside. Similarly, the book, Be Safe I Love You by Cara Hoffman, speaks of the matters of war, and reoccuring change. The main character Lauren, struggles with this change and adjusting to being back home. Her nostalgia fights her and reminds her of what life used to be like. The theme of change overwhelms Lauren, pushing away the memories of war, only to rediscover the war she has within herself. Within the novel, Be Safe I love You, Lauren’s relationship with Danny, her return from war, and the nostalgia from previous years all display the larger impact the theme of change has over the theme of war. …show more content…

Within the book, Lauren says, “You could see how happy they were, because they were almost gone.” (Hoffman 34). As Lauren goes home after the war, she has a flood of emotions and memories relating to the continual nostalgia she experiences. The statement ‘because they were almost gone’ helps show the change happening around her. She then describes her feelings saying “The war and then the various wars at home trying to make right the things he’d done.” (Hoffman 103). Lauren’s description of her constant wars both at home, and in the real world, help display the recurring fire she feels, overpowering the oppression felt at war. Early in the novel, Lauren states, “...there was no such thing as undoing, and that putting out a flame didn’t mean it hadn’t burned.” (Hoffman 14). Lauren’s nostalgia in her hometown, brings back all the memories of her childhood, and departure to war, reminding the reader of the recurring theme of war. Throughout the book, Lauren's yearning for former years emphasizes the reduced importance of the issue of

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