Just how much control does one have over the course of life events? Such questions have plagued mankind since the beginning of time, and remain unanswered. Throughout history people have wondered if their lives are predetermined or self determined . Are our lives controlled by our actions or are our lives planned out. In Mason's In Country each action Sam and Emmett take brings them closer to their destination.

Maybe it was Dwayne's destiny to die. "Emmett came back from Vietnam but Sam's father did not." (Mason Page 23) Many men died in Vietnam and maybe Dwayne died because it made Sam closer to Emmett. If Dwayne had come back he would have acted differently. It was the time for him to die. He might have gone crazy, and he could have hurt Sam or her mother. Many things could have gone wrong if he was still living after the...