The unnamed narrator in Nguyen’s, The Sympathizer, travels to the Philippines in order to work on a
Hollywood rendition of the Vietnam War. He sees this as an opportunity to offer
a new perspective of the war—one not riddled with Americanization and Hollywood’s
attempt of softening a serious matter that gravely affected his home country.
When he begins to work on The Hamlet,
however, he quickly realizes that his efforts may be futile as the
representation of the Vietnam War is corrupt from the core.
During his initial work on the film, the narrator believes
in his abilities to include some conceptualization of how the war affected the
Vietnamese. However, the director himself begins to take a dislike to the
narrator simply because he speaks out and goes against his idea of the war. The
narrator too has a distaste for the director and concludes that, “I had no
doubt that in the Auteur’s egomaniacal imagination he that his work of art,
now, was more important than the three or four or six million dead who composed
the real meaning of the war” (Nguyen 179). In an effort to conserve his
artistic vision, the director opts to forego the reality of the situation. Not
only does this serve as one of the narrator’s greatest challenges, but it also
helps him see the apathy that Americans have for a truth that disillusions them
from their country’s pride.
Upon his return to Vietnam, the narrator debriefs the
General and Madame on his experience working on the movie and in the
Philippines. The same aversion the narrator felt from being a part of the experience
was evident in his two listeners as well. In recounting his adventure, it “simultaneously
lightened their gloominess and heightened their sense of resentment” (Nguyen
199). The futility experienced by the narrator whilst working on the film
translated to those listening to it, which truly shows the impact of
misrepresentation on those who are misrepresented. At a certain point, I think,
they somewhat give up because even after moving to America they began to lose a
sense of themselves. The General, in his new occupation, felt emasculated at
which point it translates to a feeling of helplessness.
Although I did not complete the novel, I came to a point
where I still understood the implications Nguyen was making. That the Western
world tends to nod off many of the hardships and struggles of other countries
affects them unknowingly and this understanding is often lost in selfish
endeavors. I do not know how to fix this issue and being a minority myself I
deal with it on a regular basis. For the narrator in The Sympathizer, however, I doubt he could find solace after the
incredible journey he suffered – but, survived – through.
I thought how the book included a plot line about the narrator helping a director create a Hollywood rendition of the Vietnam War was very meta because parts of this book read like a Hollywood action movie to me. I remember the first action-packed scene in the novel occurs when the narrator and his friends are trying to evacuate Vietnam via airplanes but explosions and bullets start lighting up the runway and numerous evacuees die.
ReplyDeleteThis made me feel upset with the director that the narrator had to work with later in the novel. I understand that movies need to take certain liberties to make exciting and interesting films, but I cannot abide by a director skewing the public's perception of an important event such as the Vietnam War. The author of this book showed that it is quite possible to make an exciting body of work about the Vietnam War without lying about America's role in it. The scene where the evacuees were getting attacked on the runway was both exciting and informative, showing the public the true human cost of the war.
I agree with your post as well as Patrick’s when it comes to the arrogance and the undeserved stature of some characters in the book. This is obviously expressed with the Auteur and his supposed knowledge of what should and should not be excluded within the film. This tone is exemplified when he insults to the narrator, “Have you read Joseph Buttinger and Frances FitzGerald. He’s the foremost historian on your little part of the world. And she won the Pulitzer Prize. She dissected your psychology. I think I know something about you people,” (Nguyen 130). However, the Auteur is certainly not the only one guilty of such condescension. In describing her university employer Ms. Mori states, “I can’t help but feel he’s a little disappointed in me because I don’t bow whenever I see him,” (Nguyen 75). People like the Professor believe they know more about the Asian culture and minorities they study than the actual peoples in question. The list of individuals like this in the novel goes on, as the narrator details his interaction with Dr. Hedd. In understanding Hedd’s mindset the narrator believes, “I suspected, as Dr. Hedd scrutinized me, that what he saw was not that I was a book but that I was a sheet, easily read and easily mastered,” (Nguyen 252). It infuriates me that the narrator and people in question are constantly underestimated by those looking in from the outside both in the novel and in real life, which was most likely the intended effect of Nguyen’s writing.
ReplyDelete