How Far Would You Go To Learn The Truth?
Throughout the book Eli The Good, Silas House tells the story of Eli Book’s childhood
during the summer when he was 10. Eli’s father was never fully there for him because his mind
was always somewhere else. The Vietnam War was part of his past which never fully left him.
During his time in the war he wrote letters to his wife Loretta, Eli’s mom. Eli had always been
curious to read those letters because he wanted to know the secrets his daddy held about the war.
The letters play a significant role throughout the novel because they change Eli’s life and view of
his father. Eli's secretive reading of his father's war letters act as a bridge to his emotionally
unavailable father.
The Vietnam War had always interested Eli because he wanted to know why his father
was the way he was. Since his father would not tell him about the war, Eli decided to take
matters into his own hands. One summer day while everyone was away, he snuck into his
parent’s room with his best friend Edie and started to read the letters his daddy wrote in Vietnam.
One of the first letters he read, saddened him. His father wrote “I killed a man today” (House
89). After reading the letter, Eli knew what some of his father’s nightmares were about. He
realized why his daddy may have been sad quite often. Eli could picture him imagining the man,
which made him upset. He knew there were people dying in the war, but he never thought his
father would have killed a man.
The letters intrigued Eli and he wanted to know more. Eli had to wait a while before he
was able to finish the letters, but in the meantime he went to work with his father one day. The
day was good until a thunderstorm passed through the town. Eli saw his sister and aunt dance in
the rain, so he decided he’d do it to. There was a lot of lightning and his father was afraid and
