Full Measures

This final section is the crucible for Ember’s character development, forcing her to face the psychological underpinnings of her trauma and actively choose a path forward. Her confrontation with her mother in Chapter 24 is the central cathartic event. In this critical moment of psychological transference, Ember confesses, “God, Mom! I opened the damn door! You said not to because you knew! And I opened it and let them in. They destroyed our family, and I opened the damn door!” (286). Throughout the novel, Ember has focused her expression of anger on her mother’s withdrawal and April’s recklessness, externalizing blame. This outburst reveals that her most profound anger and guilt are self-directed. By opening the door to the notification officers, she became the unwilling agent of her family’s destruction. June’s immediate absolution during their talk releases Ember from this self-imposed guilt, giving her the emotional permission she needs to begin processing her own grief rather than managing the grief of others. This emotional breakthrough dismantles the stoic facade she has maintained, allowing her to transition from a reactive caretaker to an individual seizing autonomy, thematically illustrating The Impact of Grief on Relationships and Familial Roles, to an individual making choices for her own future.

Another theme, Weighing the Risk of Love Against the Fear of Loss, reaches its resolution through a sequence of events that reframe Ember’s understanding of love and sacrifice. Her initial breakup with Josh is a direct result of her trauma; his military career represents a future she equates with loss, and his failure to tell her about it because he feared rejection only increases her resolve to stay away. The homecoming ceremony for her father’s unit is an emotional turning point, providing a visual counterpoint to her experience. Surrounded by the joy of reunion, she witnesses the emotional reward that soldiers and their families receive for their sacrifice. Her mother’s assertion that the years she spent with Justin were “well worth the price of this pain” (306) directly challenges Ember’s fear-based logic about her relationship with Josh. This moment repositions military life not as a constant state of waiting for tragedy, but as a life of heightened appreciation for shared moments. When she finally reads her father’s posthumous letter to her, it provides additional impetus, instructing her to “be brave.” His directive is a paternal blessing, liberating her from the belief that avoiding his path is the only way to honor his memory. Her race to Josh’s commissioning ceremony is a symbolic act of choosing to embrace uncertainty, consciously accepting the potential for pain as a component of profound love.

Symbols and motifs externalize Ember’s internal conflicts. The military uniform symbolizes her trauma, since she associates officers in Dress Blues with the devastating news of her father’s death. Josh’s identity as a soldier thus becomes the primary obstacle in their relationship. His appearance in his own Dress Blues at the commissioning ceremony forces Ember to confront her association of the uniform with pain. Her act of pinning on his second lieutenant bars isn’t just a public declaration of love; it’s also a physical act of acceptance. By touching the uniform (the representation of her fear), she reclaims it, transforming it from a symbol of loss into one of a shared future and commitment. Similarly, the glass partition at the hockey game in Chapter 23 represents the emotional barrier between them, but when they press their palms together on either side of the glass, it visually conveys a connection that transcends physical and emotional separation, suggesting that their love persists even when her fear prevents direct contact. This moment foreshadows their commitment to sustaining a long-distance relationship.

The narrative structure in these final chapters dismantles Ember’s defenses through additional revelations, each of which further undermines the rationalizations supporting her fear. First, the emotional catharsis she experiences with her mother addresses the psychological root of her trauma. The subsequent discovery of her father’s emails reveals a profound, preexisting connection between the two most important men in her life: her father and Josh. Learning that her father was the surgeon who saved Josh’s life reframes their relationship from one of tragic coincidence to one of destined significance, suggesting a legacy of care passed from a father to a surrogate son. This revelation invalidates her fear that Josh’s interest stemmed from pity, confirming the authenticity of his love. These moments help ensure that by the time Ember reads her father’s letter, all obstacles have been cleared, and his words urge her to embrace life, leaving her with a simple choice between fear and love.

Josh’s characterization provides a stable counterpoint to Ember’s emotional volatility, embodying the steadfastness she fears she can never rely on. His devotion is grounded in motivations that mirror Ember’s own sense of duty. His motivation to join the National Guard (to finance his education while caring for his sick mother) parallels Ember’s sacrificing her college life for her family’s well-being. This shared foundation of familial responsibility subverts Ember’s former accusation that he has a “hero complex” and instead aligns his military service with the same core values she holds. The history class quiz on the Gettysburg Address solidifies the weight of their relationship. Josh reads aloud the line Ember selected, which contains the titular phrase “the last full measure of devotion” (275), a phrase that she connects to her father’s sacrifice. When she later prompts him to reflect on what his own measure of devotion is but leaves before he can answer, she effectively internalizes the question, directly confronting her journey. The quote transforms from a reflection on her father’s death into a challenge regarding her life. It forces her to consider whether her devotion to self-preservation outweighs her capacity for devotion to another person. Her arrival at his commissioning provides her answer, demonstrating that her full measure of devotion now includes embracing love, despite its risks.