BIS3023

Literary Criticism
Assignment 3

Purple Heart
By
Tess Wakefield
(Reader’s Response Theory)

Prepared by:

Name Student ID

Bryanna Enya Bana Nicholl D20201095286

Lecturer: Dr. Hamoud Yahya Ahmed Mohsen

 It took me 2 days to finish this novel, Purple Heart by Tess Wakefield. Tess Wakefield

pens a modern day love story that highlights the challenges and problems that come with it. The

main characters in this novel are Cassandra Salazar (Cassie) and Luke Morrow. If I was one of

them in this novel, I would not be capable of going through the problems that faced them. In my

perspective, this novel had potrayed a relationship with benefits that turns to a strong love bond

where an aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy marine

but a tragedy soon turns their fake marriage all too real. As the saying goes, desperate time calls

for desperate measures; Cassie needed her health insurance to sustain her medication prescription

while Luke needed a wholesome amount of money to pay for his previous debt when he was a

drug addict before joining the army. As a summary, I can say that the author had tried to plot this

story by making Cassie and Luke have a marriage with benefits because in the army, the wife

will have monthly allowance and health insurance while the husband will have extra pay for

being away for a mission. Cassie and Luke had agreed to be married and make a secret on their

purposes of marriage to help each other out of their problems. As I finished reading this novel, I

fell in love with the ending as the novel gave a decent ending where Cassie and Luke fell in love

with each other for real.

In my opinion, the purpose of the author writing this novel is to highlight the

problems and challenges faced by Americans in the modern world: access to healthcare,

cost of medical care, issues with veterans benefits, mental health and addiction. Nowadays,

it is very difficult to put bread on the table and make ends meet. Therefore, by reading this novel,

I can imagine the struggle of young generations to start fresh life independently. For instance,

after graduating from college, Cassie was struggling to manage his life, especially her financial

management; she needed to settle down commitments. She barely had the minimum wages
working as a bartender and singer. I finally opened my eyes, in America, the government did not

help much with citizens’ medical fees,so they needed to subscribe to personal health insurance. I

am very grateful to live in Malaysia where I did not have to worry about my medical fees as the

government covered for the citizens. This provides me with a bigger view on the world around

me and the discrepancies between each country around the world. On the other hand, after the

death of his mother, Luke had trouble coping with reality. He then became a drug addict which is

very unpleasant and not a good idea in my point of view. Due to this problem, he needed to

borrow money from a drug dealer and was unable to pay for it. That is an example of a careless

life step that is led by a problem in America where drugs are thought to be a solution to cope

with the problems in life.

In addition, I also agree with the author that we should pursue our desirable

endeavors or interests if we are enthusiastic in certain areas. We should love ourself more

than anything else because in the end we have no one to stand on our side and defense us more

than we can. Because everything in this world is borrowed from Allah the Almighty and we shall

return it to Him when the time comes. I personally realised that if we do not do things that we

like then our life will be meaningless if we are doing it for the sake of others. It is like living in a

fake world that is full of lies. For example, based on this novel, Cassie really loves music.

However, her mother constantly opposes her passion for it and commands her to have a better

career with her education background.

Cassie answered: “Music, it is the only thing that makes me happy”

Then her mother objected: “but you can’t eat happiness!”

Despite knowing her mother disliked her passion, she never gave up on it until she and her

friends had success recording an album that went viral and popular. I admire her stern
enthusiasm and her hardwork in doing the thing she loves for herself. I hope everyone can have

her attitude to success in life. Another example is that, after she knew that she was diagnosed

with Type II Diabetes, she never gave up on her health. She found a way to solve it by marrying

Luke. Then she was persistent with her medication until she recovered well. Moreover, Luke also

never gave up on their marriage although they were married without the feeling of love. His

simple effort was like fixing Cassie’s door knob and making her breakfast. I learnt that we should

never give up on anything that is in our heart. Instead, we should fight for it.

Next, I reflect that the responsibilities that come with love are authentic. Love can

totally change a person in and out. It makes lovers become more caring and attentive to their

partner. For example, Luke was injured during patrol by an exploded bomb, when Captain

Curtis, the Rear Detachment Commander for the 1st Battalion, 1st marines called Cassie because

her husband has been wounded in action and is now transferred from Germany to the Naval

Medical Center in San Diego. His legs were injured during the IED detonation. Luke had to

undergo surgery. She cannot believe it. She had a hard time understanding the truth. She is then

very responsible by calling Luke’s family to inform the news. As the next of kin of Luke, she

needs to be prepared for any possibilities in the military. Next example is, when Luke is under

rehab, Cassie took full responsibility to take care of him. She helps Luke get in the shower

because standing up for a long period of time which causes radiating pain while getting in a tub

is also a nightmare to Luke. Cassie helps him bath and scrub his back as she hold his hand and

say:

“I can see how hard you’ve been working at it, and you will run again soon, Luke. I

believe in you.”
Luke then laid his head on Cassie’s chest which is a sign of comfort and calmness. I believe this

is a form of motivation that gives hope to anyone that is at their lowest point.

Lastly, for me, Purple Hearts convey the imagery of a love that is as pure as sugar

that was nurtured through a relationship that does not begin with love. It shows how love is

a very powerful feeling that can be planted on people’s hearts. In the army, Purple Hearts is a

United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or

killed while serving with the U.S military. In this novel, Luke was awarded with the honour of

Purple Hearts by the president when he was injured during a mission in Iraq. In my point of

view, the award Purple Heart is far more than just an award by the president, it is the most

precious award by God to him : love. During the mission in Iraq, Cassie and Luke had to

separate with each other for a few months. While being away, they emailed and texted each

other. Cassie used “ my dear husband” and Luke replied “my darling wife” in their emails. They

even exchange jokes and get to know each other more. Cassie sings a serenade for Luke and his

colleague. When it was a rough time at the war, she sang for the American heroes. Day by day,

their love was blooming with grace. That made me believe that love is true even when the

distance kept us apart.

This novel really opened my eyes to the fact that love really makes the world go around. I

wish to write more on my feelings that evolved while reading this novel. However there will be

no papers sufficient to sustain it. I love the way Tess Wakefield ends this novel exquisitely. The

ending is very clear and vivid as well as desirable. It left me with feelings of strong love and

moral values. I will definitely suggest everyone to read this novel.