The Relationship Between Sam and John

[Death]

Going through season 1 I find it interesting how Sam talks about John, how Sam feels like he was always a disappointment to John, and the John wanted him to be a hunter instead of going to Stanford. Obviously their relationship does change before John's death, but we still see later a lot of that tension between them throughout the flashbacks.

What are your thoughts on their relationship?

 

[Americana]

I think it always seemed like John was harder on Dean than Sam, so I never got the sense that John had a problem with Sam. I believe that he didn't want Sam to stop hunting but as we learn from Dean, he did check up on Sam so maybe it was concern that Sam wouldn't be able to escape the life that he grew up in and to be fair John is kind of right about that which we find out when it's revealed that Sam didn't really escape that life and that it did follow him to college.

 

[SwanSong]

Sam was acutely aware of how different his life was growing up. He longed to be like the other kids, have a normal life, while Dean didn't see the appeal.
Sam held contempt for John, for the childhood he had, and John reflected that back as disappointment in Sam for not appreciating the importance of the work.

Dean remembered Mary, he had a concrete reason to fight, Sam did not and didn't seem to have the same drive (in the beginning) to be a hunter.