Dear John

Savannah is a 21-year-old college student visiting Wilmington, North Carolina, on a Habitat for Humanity trip to build houses for those in need. She is deeply religious, sweet, and naïve with an idealistic view of the world. She has a big heart and wants to care for others. She grew up with supportive and involved parents on a farm full of animals and strays she brought home. At school, she studies special education. After seeing how much her family friend Alan grew from experiencing her horses, she dreams of opening a therapy camp where children with autism can work with horses.

Savannah is frequently described as naïve. Her naiveté is exemplified by her desire to diagnose Mr. Tyree’s condition without considering how John would feel about her actions. She is modest and doesn’t do anything physical with John until his second leave; after, she is regretful, and they are never together physically again. In college, she was drugged and almost date-raped, and she struggles with her peers’ views of casual sex.

After Tim’s cancer diagnosis, Savannah faces many of the hardships of life. While much of the town is supportive, she doesn’t have anyone to discuss or face these hardships with. Most of her naiveté is shed after she gets married and faces several personal tragedies. John recognizes the changes in her, noticing that she seems sad and more reserved.

John’s father is a man of routines who does the same thing every day. Every morning he cooks eggs and bacon, and every night he goes into his den to read the Greysheet and study his coins. He is comfortable in his routine and does not like change. Even though he has been a good father and supported John in all the ways that matter, John is frustrated by him and his way of life.

For John’s father, coins are literally the currency between son and father and one of the only things they can discuss. When John was young, he and his father bonded over coins. When John grew frustrated with his father’s hobby and declared that he never wanted to hear about coins again, the void between them grew. While John thought that his father was uninterested in talking about anything else, the reality was that he was unable to.

Tim is Savannah’s childhood friend. He attends the same college as Savannah, and even though he is a couple of years older, he watches out for her. He knows Savannah is special, and while John suspects that Tim is in love with her when they first meet, he treats John with kindness. Tim’s treatment of his younger brother inspires Savannah to pursue special education. Quiet and thoughtful, he is in the background of Savannah’s life until tragedy brings them together. Eventually, they marry, but when John returns, Tim acknowledges the love between John and Savannah and encourages John to marry her if he dies. Tim already understands what John will also learn: love desires happiness for the one you love in all circumstances.