49 pages • 1 hour read
Chris CroweDeath Coming Up The Hill: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaSymbols & Motifs
The War
The Vietnam War looms as a formidable symbol throughout the text, not just embodying conflict and loss but also encapsulating the pervasive chaos infiltrating Ashe and his family’s lives. It mirrors broader societal unrest and reflects Ashe’s personal struggles, a stark reminder of the emotional toll and harsh realities that define the era. This conflict becomes an ever-present backdrop shaping Ashe’s decisions, relationships, and emotional state, as reflected in his thoughts about attending college “to avoid the war, not prepare for it” and the pervasive influence casting a figurative haze over his life (21), illustrated by the metaphorical “fog of war” that clouds his surroundings (26).
Ashe’s teacher’s emotional outburst underscores the tragic toll of the conflict as he laments the “stupid war that has led to senseless suffering for the civilians and the soldiers on both sides” (41). As Ashe matures, he realizes that the reality of war starkly contrasts the glorified portrayals in the movies, stripping away any romanticized notions. His opposition to the war stems not just from political dissent but from an overwhelming, “plain old fear” (71), acknowledging the visceral terror war instills within humans.
The war’s grim toll and the loss it inflicts come to the forefront as Ashe reflects on the “thousands of sons, brothers, and husbands” who gave their lives for a country fighting a senseless war (88). This sentiment is reinforced by the cautionary advice of Ashe’s coworker, Reuben Ortega, a war veteran whose stark warning highlights the trauma borne by those who experience war firsthand: “Don’t never go to war. If it don’t kill you, it’ll break you, and you’ll be digging ditches with burned-out war vets in a hundred-ten-degree heat the rest of your life” (109).
Throughout the novel, the Vietnam War is a symbol of the tumultuous era, embodying the heartache, disillusionment, and human cost that reverberates throughout Ashe’s journey and shapes the narrative’s core themes of sacrifice, loss, and personal turmoil.
The MIA Bracelet
The Missing in Action (MIA) bracelet presented to Ashe by Angela is a symbol of the uncertainty, pain, and deeply personal connections forged amidst the chaos of war. Ashe receives the “copper MIA wristband” bearing Angela’s brother’s name and the date of his disappearance (136), symbolizing the unspoken hope tethered to the bracelet’s significance. He is “supposed to wear it until [Kelly] came home—or until his body was found” (136). Beyond being a mere physical object, the bracelet becomes a reminder of loss and an emotional link between Ashe and Angela, signifying her deep love as she entrusts him with her brother’s MIA bracelet. However, the bracelet’s significance also foreshadows Ashe’s eventual demise in the war. The bracelet’s symbolic weight intensifies as Ashe, on the brink of departure for Vietnam, shares a tender moment with Angela and presents her with the bracelet. This act not only serves as a gesture symbolizing Ashe’s acceptance of the inevitable but also marks a profound shift in their connection, with the relinquishment of the bracelet signifying the beginning of Ashe’s journey toward a fate predestined by the uncertainty and the emotional weight the bracelet carried.
The MIA bracelet embodies the emotional burden, the intimate connections, and the profound impact of loss and uncertainty brought about by the Vietnam War. Its significance in Ashe’s life, intertwined with love, sacrifice, and foreboding, enriches the narrative, symbolizing the tragedy and personal upheaval woven into the fabric of his story and the broader themes of sacrifice and inevitable loss.
Letters
Letters serve as a recurring motif in the novel, symbolizing communication, emotional connection, and the anguish of separation during wartime. Acting as a vital link between characters distanced by circumstances, especially soldiers and their families, these letters represent a lifeline. Their presence reveals not only the characters’ yearning for contact but also the emotional turmoil wrought by separation and the anxieties endured by families waiting for news from their loved ones. Within the narrative, the motif of letters unveils the inefficiencies of communication during war, accentuating the struggles faced by families yearning for updates from their beloved soldiers as the “Army mail isn’t very efficient” (64).
Additionally, these letters wield emotional weight, acting as bearers of distressing news. Ashe’s mother’s resolute facade crumbles upon receiving news of Marcus’s demise through a letter, exemplifying the emotional impact conveyed by a single piece of correspondence. Ashe notes, “her determined façade faded. She dropped the letter and grabbed [him] like she was drowning” (143). Ashe’s father’s announcement of cutting off financial support is also conveyed through a letter, underlining the letters’ role in transmitting life-altering decisions and adding to the emotional turmoil within families.
