Nurila Banun Khoirunnisa

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Purple Hearts by Tess Wakefield

Report Analyze 1 and 2

Purple hearts told of a soldier with a troubled past and a struggling songwriter who agreed to
marry for military benefit. Then tragedy struck, and the line between what was real and who was
pretending to be blurred in romance as they slowly fell in love. Cassie Salazar and Luke Morrow are very
different. Cassie was working nights at a bar in Austin, Texas, pursuing her dream of becoming a
songwriter. Luke is an army trainee, about to leave on duty, who finds comfort in a firm discipline of
service. But a chance encounter at Cassie’s bar changed the course of their lives. Cassie was drowning in
medical bills after being diagnosed with diabetes. When she met up with his old friend Frankie, who was
also enrolled in the army, she proposed a deal she would marry him in exchange for better health
insurance and they could split the increased salary of having a” family “. When Frankie refused, his
friend Luke offered to marry Cassie instead. What she didn’t know was that she had her own desperate
reason for marriage. In this unforgettable love story, Cassie and Luke had to put their differences aside
to make it look like a real marriage.

In this novel, the two main characters, Cassie and Luke, both have financial problems. They are
trying to find a way to earn money by taking advantage of Luke’s profession as a marine, whereby
marrying a marine will get living allowance. I understand why they want to do things that can be very
dangerous to life. Before getting married, of course, they understand what consequences they will
receive if they are caught lying, but the reason they do this is because they no longer know how to pay
bills and debts. In this era it is very difficult to get a job so many people are confused about how to make
a living, so it takes more effort to earn money. It’s the same with health insurance, not all insurance can
cover all medical expenses. What causes many people to lose their chance to live is the impact of having
no money for treatment.

The story continues and emphasizes that Cassie has difficulty getting money even though she
has to pay for apartment rent, medical bills, and for her and her mother’s living expenses. On page 30
“I’ve got the money,” I said to the ceiling. I wondered if Mom could tell I was lying. There was my final
paycheck from the firm, and the money from tonight’s gig, but my share wouldn’t be nearly enough. It
was supposed to go toward a studio sessions anyway. I lay back and closed my eyes. My insides were
boiling. My body ran me now. As the tears rolled down, I could feel Mom reach over and wipe them
away” explaining that Cassie is really tired and still short of money even though she has taken three
jobs. Treatment for diabetes requires a very high cost so people with sufficient living like Cassie
expenses because of insurance health does not cover all treatment. I agree that finance is a very
necessary thing to support life, especially for people who need treatment. With health insurance from
the government that cannot cover all treatment, it becomes a special pressure for these sufferers.

In this novel, in each chapter, the writer uses a point of view, as in the first chapter, the story is
from Cassie’s point of view, then chapter two uses Luke’s point of view. With stories about two
characters who are very different professions, Cassie is a band member who works in a bar and Luke, a
marine, makes this story very interesting. Cassie with her carefree lifestyle and Luke who is firm even
with himself. At first I was confused as to why this novel is titled Purple Hearts until I found out that
Purple Hearts is a United States military award that is awarded on behalf of the President to people who
are injured or killed while on duty. And in this novel, page 172 “ George and Louise Cucciolo held
Frankie’s memorial service under the hundred-foot-tall arches of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Dwarfing the fifty
or so of us who were invited. Luke could Stand with the help of a few nurses, but he could barely put
any Weight on the leg, and the cathedral’s only wheelchair accessible entrance was through a back
door, up a noisy Wooden ramp.” Luke, who after his marriage is in charge of guarding the border, is
injured in his leg by a landmine which causes him to have difficulty walking for months. And because of
the mines and the attack Luke’s friend Frankie died.

Cassie is an interesting character in Purple Hearts. I don’t always agree with his choices, but I
really care about him. Her true passion is with her band and while I would love for her to pursue her
dream, it sure isn’t easy, especially when he was diagnosed with diabetes. When the world is turned
upside down because of finance. Instead of falling apart, try to do your best focusing 100% on what you
like and effectively, on the character of Cassie, which is her music career, because that is her true
passion. Cassie was part of a band and now that she doesn’t have a job and can focus on music, she
hopes her band will take off and it becomes a reality thanks to her hard work. I adore Luke in Purple
Hearts. He’s not perfect, but that’s why I respect him. His past story is that he was an addict. His own
predicament is made even more complicated by the return of someone from his previous life before
joining the army, his friend Johnno who pulled him into an addict and it turns out he still has a debt to
him. He needed more money as soon as possible, so marrying Cassie seemed like a good deal. He just
wants to get the trust back from his father that he is away from his younger brother and his family and
can survive on his own.

Purple Hearts is an interesting novel because it tells of two very different characters and the
storyline is not too heavy. The use of language used by the author is also light so that it can be easily
understood. Also with each chapter using the views of Cassie and Luke it can easily help to understand
the intent of what want to convey or the delivery that the characters want to give to the reader can be
easily accepted.