Significance of Sammy's Lodge

The lodge that Sammy buys in "Sons," represents the completion of the "settlement circle." In the novel's timeline, the beginning sees the New England born Phineas and his fellow missionaries settling in Siam, hoping to leave an American-Christian mark on the capital. Over a century later, Sammy "settles" into a lodge in New England by buying it. He seeks to leave his mark on the place by renaming it with his Thai, not his anglicized name.