Emmett is a thirty-five year old man with lots of pimples on his face. He has headaches and a bad temper all the time. He attended Murray State but dropped out and owes the government more than five hundred dollars. He went to prison because he was arrested for the flag incident in the courthouse tower. Emmett doesn't have a job, a family, or a girlfriend. His daily activities are: having breakfast with his old friends at McDonald's; playing video games; and watch MASH on TV. Emmett is an incredibly slow person. This was my first impression of Emmett when I started reading this book. However, as I read more and more about Emmett, I realized that he is a truly loving person. It shows his love and consideration for his family and friends more than for himself. Furthermore, he never does anything to hurt anyone. Emmett is simply a selfless person who I believe is the model of the true beauty of all humanity. Emmett was a good student in school until Dwayne's death during the Vietnam War; it was a turning point in Emmett's life. Emmett voluntarily joined the army because he wanted to comfort Irene by getting revenge on Dwayne. "I felt like I owed Emmett something because he went there for my sake." (171) But good deeds don't always work out well. During the war, Emmett was poisoned by Agent Orange and faced a series of physical and mental illnesses for the rest of his life. Emmett was discharged upon returning from the war. He lived with Irene before she married Larry and moved to Lexington. However, Emmett was so thoughtful and didn't want to be a burden to Irene. He showed his love for his sister by sacrificing himself in war and being happy for her in his new marriage. Emmett hid his love from Anita because he thought Anita was too good for him. All the lingering effects he got after the war caused Emmett to keep a great distance from Anita. He thought it would be a torturous relationship if Anita married him, because they might not be able to have sex and start a family properly..