The Quiet American Essay - 743 Words

The Quiet American The film The Quiet American takes place during the 1950’s in Vietnam. The movie illustrates the atmosphere of Vietnam previous to the Vietnam War and during the French occupation of the country. The main plot of the movie revolves around three characters: Fowler played by Michael Caine, Pyle played by Brendan Fraiser, and Phoung played by Do Thi Hai Yen. For the duration of the movie the three main characters are involved in a semi love triangle. This triangle and the emotions that the male characters feel towards Phoung begin to characterize the way they feel about the country of Vietnam itself. Vietnam becomes feminized, taboo, and sexualized just as Phoung does in Pyle and Fowler’s eyes. The manner in†¦show more content†¦Pyle doesn’t love Vietnam so much as he hates communism, in the same way he doesn’t love Phoung so much as he does not want Fowler to have her. Fowler on the other hand walks a thin line between noninvolvement and participatio n within the situations at hand. Fowler believes that Vietnam should be left to make its own decisions, but at the same time he is afraid of the consequences of such choices. This policy of noninvolvement and noncommittal is the same way that he approaches all the situations within his life. Fowler does not want to become concerned with the circumstances occurring in Vietnam and he also does not wholeheartedly become involved in the situation between Pyle and Phoung until he is forced to do so. He essentially permits Phoung to decide whom she wants to be with until he is compelled to leave his state of neutrality when it does not seem as if he will become the winner of her heart. Yet again Fowler’s feelings towards Phoung embody his feelings towards Vietnam. Fowler wanted to give Phoung a chance to make her own decisions until he becomes petrified that she will choose the stability of Pyle rather than himself. In a similar way, Fowler believed that Vietnam should be able to c hoose what would occur in its own future but he was afraid at the same time that they would make the wrong decision and elect a communist leader. Although Phoung’s embodiment of Vietnam is the majorShow MoreRelatedThe Quiet American by Graham Greene1629 Words   |  7 PagesGraham Greenes novel, The Quiet American, is more than a political statement about whether or not America or any other country for that matter should become involved in the affairs of another country; Greene makes the question human and personal. The novel can be read as a political and moral reflection on the opening stages of the United States’ involvement in Southeast Asia. Therefore, Greene’s novel becomes a commentary on the pointlessness of the United States’ later investment of men and materialRead MoreThe Quiet American By Graham Greene1272 Words   |  6 Pages The Quiet American was a book originally written in 1955 by Graham Greene, inspired by the first French Indochina w ar in Vietnam placed during 1951 - 1954. The author adds a love triangle in the mist of war’s chaos to deepen the reader’s interest. His decision to create a fictional love story during a turbulent time in our history proved to be successful, even though, Greene insists, This is a story and not a piece of history. Bushnell reflects Greene’s comment adding, Unfortunately, The QuietRead MoreThe Quiet American, By Graham Greene1430 Words   |  6 Pagesbiased to their innocence, which often causes more harm than good. In The Quiet American, by Graham Greene, Alden Pyle is an innocent, and therefore problematic, character. The novel is set in 1950s Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Pyle is representative of the American forces in the war as his primary goal is to stop communism, and he surmises that he knows the best way to do it. Because of this, he is an example of American exceptionalism, believing that he is most apt to solve the crisis in VietnamRead MoreEssay on The Quiet American by Graham Greene1400 Words   |  6 PagesThe Quiet American is written by Graham Greene. This novel is about the conflict between Alden Pyle and Thomas Fowler. The novel’s events have already taken place and Fowler is the narrator of the story. Thomas Fowler, a man in his fifties, is a British journalist who has been covering the events taking place in the French War in Vietnam for over two years. He chooses to remain neutral between the sides of the battles he covers. He meets Alden Pyle, a young American who is well educated and secretlyRead MoreThe Quiet American - Taking Sides Is Human789 Words   |  4 PagesThe Quiet American, by Graham Greene, implements a number of techniques to persuade the reader to believe that taking sides is human. This is done mainly through character development, events, narrative and setting. Using these techniques, Graham Greene is able to successfully create invited readings which support his views. Important to this process, character development is the center of this novel, and a powerful force behind the beliefs and invited readings presented by the text. Using charactersRead MoreThe Theme of Guilt: Enduring Love, Quiet American2059 Words   |  9 PagesThe theme of guilt: Enduring Love, Quiet American Before starting my essay, I would like to share an extract from an article which is related my topic. I think it is better to start scientific definition of my main argument Guilt as a moral concept. In this article, shame and guilt are being discussed and I am going to connect with the characters of the books I am going to write about them. â€Å"Analyses of personal shame and guilt experiences providedRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness And The Quiet American1581 Words   |  7 PagesHeart of Darkness and The Quiet American, the treatment of women and victims of imperialism are almost indistinguishable. Joseph Conrad and Graham Greene were both aware of the constraints women in the 19th and 20th century faced for simply being rational and intelligent. Women were objectified and a straightjacket of propriety, during a time of greed and corruption. Although both works contain moments of this reoccurring suppression, Heart of Darkness and The Quiet American do recognize the power womenRead MoreEssay on The Quiet American1280 Words   |  6 PagesThe Quiet American How long can you sit on the fence and not get involved? How long before youre forced to choose sides? Thomas Fowler learns the answers to this dilemma the hard way. Fowler at the onset of our story, describes himself as being an objective observer, purposely not taking sides, just telling over the facts. My fellow journalists called themselves correspondents; I preferred the title of reporter. I wrote what I saw, I took no action- even an opinion is a kind of action. (20)Read MoreThe Quiet American - Imaginative1970 Words   |  8 Pagesfoolish to realize that in the end, it was only USA gaining the benefits of my work. Here we are Mr. Allen, said the petty officer driving the Humvee. Thanks for the ride, I wont need the ride back today, I replied. No problem. Back to the American air base in Fallujah, the last time I had been asked to come here was back 3 weeks ago when the first attack upon the building I had originally stayed in had been bombed to ashes. As all the soldiers had told me, that event would be listed as anRead MoreConflicts Involve a Clash of Ideas, Interests and Expectations.808 Words   |  4 Pagescan be small scaled and result in political debates, or in contrast, they can result in colossal wars as we’ve seen in the past century. This is as true in literature as much as life. Graham Greene proves this notion in his allegoric novel The Quiet American, as he draws upon political ideologies and represents these through the characters in the novel. Greene places the characters within the context of Indochina War, and presents relationships of the characters symbolically to represent the circumstances