The Refugees

by

Viet Thanh Nguyen

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Refugees makes teaching easy.

Sam Character Analysis

Thomas’s ex-wife in “Someone Else Besides You.” Sam is a high school geometry teacher and is both kind and patient. She had waited many years to have a child with Thomas, who was always unsure as to whether he would make a good father. When Sam turned thirty-four, she had gotten tired of waiting, and after the two had gotten a divorce, Sam decides to have a child on her own. When Thomas sees Sam pregnant, he regrets the opportunity he lost with her and works to try and win her back. By the end of the story, he tells her that he wants to be the father of her child.

Sam Quotes in The Refugees

The The Refugees quotes below are all either spoken by Sam or refer to Sam. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
War and the Refugee Experience Theme Icon
).
Someone Else Besides You Quotes

“Who says I want her back?”

“Don’t be an idiot. You were only half a man before you met her, and you’re back to being half a man now.”

Related Characters: Thomas (speaker), Mr. P. (speaker), Sam, Mimi
Page Number: 161
Explanation and Analysis:

When I spoke, it was so softly that only the stranger curled up behind the belly ring could hear. Then I said it once more, louder: “I can be the father.” Feeling Sam’s hand grip my shoulder, I said it a third time, just to make sure they both heard me right.

Related Characters: Thomas (speaker), Mr. P., Sam
Page Number: 179
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Refugees LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Refugees PDF

Sam Quotes in The Refugees

The The Refugees quotes below are all either spoken by Sam or refer to Sam. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
War and the Refugee Experience Theme Icon
).
Someone Else Besides You Quotes

“Who says I want her back?”

“Don’t be an idiot. You were only half a man before you met her, and you’re back to being half a man now.”

Related Characters: Thomas (speaker), Mr. P. (speaker), Sam, Mimi
Page Number: 161
Explanation and Analysis:

When I spoke, it was so softly that only the stranger curled up behind the belly ring could hear. Then I said it once more, louder: “I can be the father.” Feeling Sam’s hand grip my shoulder, I said it a third time, just to make sure they both heard me right.

Related Characters: Thomas (speaker), Mr. P., Sam
Page Number: 179
Explanation and Analysis: