A Boy at War

The USS Arizona is now a naval cemetery. As such, it will never be raised from the bottom of the harbor; it is a memorial site maintained by the National Park Service. Examine how Adam’s connection to the Arizona as his father’s final resting place drives his reluctance to leave the island. Explain how what he saw and what he thinks must have happened to his father on the day of the attack shapes this view.

Consider the ways in which Marilyn deviates from the rigid order her husband imposes on the family, such as her lightheartedness in overseeing Adam’s room inspection. How would you describe Marilyn? How does she turn out to be different than Adam once thought? How does she typify the traditional military officer’s wife of mid-20th-century America, and how might she be different?

Adam is presumed to want to join the navy like his father. After the events of A Boy at War, do you think Adam will still want to join the military one day? If so, would he join the navy or another branch? What reasons might he give for or against joining the military? How might his choice affect his perceived responsibilities to his country, his father, his mother, and his sister? In Adam’s position, what do you think you might do?

What is Bea’s role in the novel? What are her relationships like with her mother, her father, and Adam? How does her perspective as a small child serve to highlight some of the complexities of the world that the Pelkos occupy as a naval family? What is special about her relationship with Koniko?

Choose a historical event, from any period, in which young people like Adam have experienced danger and violence. Compare this event to what Adam experienced, and discuss how both events might have affected adolescents who bore witness to them. Which elements are overarching, and which are unique? How does the time period in which each event occurred shape its impact on young witnesses? Some options might include natural disasters, large-scale human-made disasters, battles, etc.

Before reading A Boy at War, what was your impression of the events of Pearl Harbor and how they related to world history? How did your impression of the events change after reading the book? If you were on the island of Oahu on December 7, 1941, where do you think you might be, and what might you be doing at the time of the attack? What aspects of your identity might shape how you viewed the attacks?

Consider Adam’s experiences and behaviors during the attack. Trace the emotions and physical responses that he undergoes over the course of December 7 and connect these to the stress that he was under as he was swept up in the attack. What do these feelings and symptoms tell us about his mental and emotional state as the day unfolds? What do they tell us about Adam as a person? Incorporate scientific research about what happens to people in high-stress, imminent-danger situations. In what ways does Adam exemplify these expected behaviors, and in what ways does he deviate from them?

Adam’s relationship with his father is characterized by his father’s strictness and reserve when dealing with his son. Describe specific incidents that illustrate how Adam’s father exerts control over his son and his family and how these gestures and expectations affect Adam’s behavior and thought processes. Examine how Adam is conditioned to expect certain outcomes from his father, and the methods Adam uses to glean positive feedback from Emory.