Introduction
Different authors have written various books detailing the occurrences of the Vietnam War. All the books aim to detail the happenings of the war from the beginning to the end. Some of them also show conflicting ideas and issues that surrounded the war. Moreover, others also aim to show the negative effects of the war. One of the most notable books about the Vietnam War is The sympathizer, by Vet Thanh Nguyen. In this book, the author aims to provide key details about the war that took place in Vietnam. The author tells the story by using an unnamed narrator who experiences different situations while participating in the war. On the same note, the author has highlighted various aspects of the war that are key points of the book. Therefore, this paper is an analysis of the book by looking at the details of the story and points out why the narrator feels that the Vietnam war did not end.
Key points
Lack Of Understanding of True Allegiance
The narrator in the study is half-European and half-Vietnamese. He was born of a Vietnamese teenage mother whom he loves dearly and a French father who was a catholic Priest whom he hates almost with a passion (Vet, 2015). During the war, the nameless narrator is torn apart in the circumstances of the war. He is a spy who finds himself living with the General he was sent to spy upon. He is also loyal to his French roots, the nation that sent him to spy on the general and the overall Vietnam War undertakings. While in the United States, the narrator is confronted by the need for him to know where his allegiance truly lies. The narrator was sent by the French to spy on the General and bring them the necessary information. At the same time, the General also expects him to be his spy and collect information about the French and other European countries and report the same to the General.
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While at it, he ends up killing innocent people like the random person he chose to be the spy while in America. He also ends up living a double life in which he spies for two powerful countries. The nature of duality presented in the narrator's life eventually leads to his death when he is killed by the person he trusted the most (Caputo, 2016). Another factor that widens his split view is that he was educated in America where he learned to speak English without an accent. That makes it hard for anyone to point him out as a non- American when he mingles with them. However, he also develops some hatred for the nation who he says has developed many super things including the super bowl, supermarket, and superhighways.
Narrator’s Abilities
Another key point of the book is the narrator’s acrobatic abilities, which are seen as his strengths and weakness (Lyall, 2015). His strength originates from the fact that he is able to spy on both countries. While living a double spy life, he is able to see the rights and wrongs of both nations. On the contrary, his acrobatic nature is visible in the fact that he has a talent that controls him instead of letting him be in control of the talent as he states in his opening remarks. In the end, he wonders whether what he has are true talents because he does not seem to have effective control of his perceived talent.
Misconceptions and Misunderstandings
The abilities of the narrator also lead to another key point, which refers to the misconceptions and misunderstandings between the east and the west. While spying, the narrator realizes that the east and the west do not understand one another. The west does not understand why there is a war in Vietnam while the Vietnamese do not understand why the west is involved in their businesses.
The War and its Aftermath
Another key point in the book is the war and its effects. For example, many people lost their lives during the war (Vet, 2015). On the same note, most of them lost their properties, their homes, and even jobs. Thus the aftermath of the war presented a country so torn and with a bleak future. Similarly, the narrator does not feel that the war in Vietnam ends because he was captured. His capture began a new era of war in his life; he did not know what to do. Before he was taken captive, the narrator makes a tough decision to return to Vietnam to rescue his blood brother. He does not know how he will trick him and save him at the same time. He is left with a personal war of deciding on what to do in the event of saving his friend and betraying his friend and brother. The narrator knew that Bon was not a communist while he was.
On the contrary, Bon did not know that the narrator was a communist. Therefore, he knows that he had a war to fight and this had come from the fact that he had various points of conflicting interests (Vet, 2015). The narrator also feels that the war does not end because he carried the guilt of killing the crapulent, an innocent man he accused of being a spy in order for him not to blow his cover as a spy against the General. This guilt lives with the narrator throughout the book and even at the point when he is captured.
Conclusion
The book ‘The sympathizer,’ by Vet Thanh Nguyen depicts the events that took place in the Vietnam war. The author simplifies the various aspects of the war using a narrator, who took place in the real war. From the book, the narrator appears to be confused on how to handle his task of being a spy. He ends up betraying his camp, since he does not execute his task. The story demonstrates the nature of the war and how the Western and the Eastern countries perceived of each.
- References
Caputo, P. (2016). Book review The Sympathizer,’ by Viet Thanh Nguyen. New York: New York Times.
Lyall, S. (2015). Review: ‘The Sympathizer,’ a Novel About a Soldier, Spy and Film Consultant. Chicago: Books of the Times.
Vet, T. N. (2015). The sympathizer. New York: SAGE.
