The author, Diane Covington, is actually one of the main people this story is about. She grew up hearing stories from her father about his time away at war. Her father, Lieutenant Johnson, was in the Navy during WWII. He was stationed in France and discovered a little boy named Gilbert when he first arrived there. Gilbert was an orphan, and with Lieutenant Johnson's little bit of French, they began to communicate. Lieutenant Johnson invited Gilbert to eat with him. They begin to form a friendship, but when it comes time for Lieutenant Johnson to go back home, he inquires about the adoption of Gilbert, and is told no.
Diane had heard many stories about her father's adventures of being in the Navy, but most of them included Gilbert. She recalls how he always remembered Gilbert with fondness. He even traveled to France years after leaving the Navy and tried to look Gilbert up, but failed to find him. In 1991, Lieutenant Johnson passed away. Diane became determined to learn more about World War II, and the kind of life her father led during that time. While in France, she decided to try to find Gilbert again. It did not take much for her to find him, and they finally met. Diane and Gilbert brought their families together to meet, despite the fact that Lieutenant Johnson was no longer there to see it.
The question is however, why is this story so inspiring to the readers? It took very little for Diane to locate Gilbert and his family. She simply placed an ad in the newspaper, and Gilbert read it the next morning. She did not move Heaven and Earth to find him, did not need to hire a private investigator, and was able to meet him before she went back to America. True, it is a touching story, despite the fact that Diane's father, the one that brought them together, was not alive to see it happen. However, the author uses powerful language to make it seem so inspiring.
After meeting Gilbert, Diane learns what happened the morning Lieutenant Johnson and Gilbert said goodbye. Lieutenant Johnson tried to take Gilbert home with him, but due to a storm, and other uncontrollable events, it did not work out. Gilbert also tells Diane that Lieutenant Johnson promised him that he would come back for him, although he never did. Gilbert asks why, and for a moment, the reader realizes that this story is not as inspiring as it is made out to be. However, Diane states that Gilbert's daughter said it was "Le destin" which means destiny. By making the event sound magical, it adds an inspiring twist to the event.
Diane recounts years of emails, phone calls, and visits she has with Gilbert, his family, and her family until the story comes to a sad end. Gilbert was diagnosed with liver cancer, and passed away before Diane could make it to her last visit with him. She did however make it to his funeral in which she put in a picture of young Gilbert and her father on Gilbert's coffin.
This story is supposed to be happy, but the fact that Lieutenant Johnson was not ever able to see Gilbert again, and the fact that the story ends with Gilbert's death makes it sad. It is not as inspiring as the author wants the reader to think it is. Diane went to almost no work, and it was even easy to find Gilbert. Therefore, as touching as it is, it is no more inspiring than the average story in which an adopted child finds their biological parents.
No comments:
Post a Comment