One thing I learned from watching the PBS documentary was how volatile the relationship between the US and South Vietnam was, when the US was supposed to be aiding them. It was all a game being played for power between the US and Vietnam. I also learned that there was basically an ordered assassination from the US government to kill Ngo Dihn Diem and his brother, who were gaining too much power and not following the orders put out by the US.
The two narratives combined in 'A Good Scent' are the visions of an old dying man who lives in New Orleans, named Dao, who was an old friend of Ho Chi Minh and the interacting between the old man and his family. The visions of Ho Chi Minh occur at night, and Ho always has confectionery sugar on his hands, which remind Dao of when they lived and worked together, when Ho was a pastry chef. The two have discussions of the past and Ho seems to be discontent because he forgets what he used to put in the Maestro's glaze, and Dao claims that he never knew because he was only a dishwasher. In this narrative, Dao explains how he became a Buddhist and Ho became a communist, and Dao asks Ho if he was ever disappointed in him for not traveling the world with him. Ho admits that it is complicated, and that he isn't in the position to question another's life choices. Ho also admits that he is not at peace where he is, and seems uninterested in the fact that he won war. The second narrative presented in this story is the storyline of Dao's family. He speaks of his son-in-law and grandson poorly, and calls them insincere and dull witted. Dao believes his son-in-law and grandson are involved in the murder of a Vietnamese man who lives in also New Orleans. The man bought an American made truck, and was killed while driving it from someone in the back seat. Dao explains the political killing to Ho when he comes to see him that night, but Ho never directly addresses the issue before he leaves. Dao remembers what Ho needs to put in the Maestro's glaze; granulated sugar instead of confectionery sugar; he knows this because he had always listened in the kitchen despite only being a dishwasher, because he wanted to understand everything or else he would be 'incomplete forever'. Both of the narratives connect to the overall idea of the story, that Vietnamese politics continue in America and the politics remain implanted in so many people's memories.
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One thing I learned from watching the PBS documentary was how volatile the relationship between the United States and South Vietnam was, even though the US was supposed to be aiding them. It was all a game being played for power between the US and Vietnam. I also learned that there was basically an ordered assassination from the US government to kill Ngo Dihn Diem and his brother, because they were gaining too much power and not following the orders given to them by the US.
ReplyDeleteRobert Olen Butler’s “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain” is a short story in which the narrator, Dao, is an elderly man close to his death. Butler combines two narratives in this short story, one of which is Dao’s visions of Ho Chi Minh three nights in a row. Ho is concerned that he always has confectionary sugar on his hands, which reminds Dao of when they lived and worked together at the Carlton Hotel in London. Dao remembers how Ho fought politically for the Vietnamese. The glaze on Ho’s hands represents the constant thought of the war, even in his afterlife. Ho states that he is not at peace in the afterlife. This is because he had died before the Vietnamese had won the war, and victory was his main concern. The fact that Dao knows what Ho is missing in the recipe at the end of the story parallels to Dao, a Buddhist, and that knew that the answer to war was harmony, while Ho did not.
The second narrative presented in this story is the storyline of Dao's family. He speaks of his son-in-law and grandson poorly, and calls them “the dull-witted and insincere ones” (237). Dao believes his son-in-law and grandson are involved in the murder of Mr. Le, a Vietnamese man who also lives in also New Orleans, because of their tones in a conversation regarding the murder. Mr. Le was the publisher of a newspaper, and he had voiced his sympathies for the Vietnamese communist government, and the fact that he recognized Vietnam’s joining of North and South. Le saw that the world had changed, even though he was not necessarily a communist. Dao believed he was telling the truth when he claimed to be a patriot to the Republic of Vietnam, and agreed with Le’s beliefs. Le drove a Chevy, an extremely American symbol, to assimilate into American culture; however, the absence of a gun rack represented that Le was not violent, which further depicted his sympathy for the Vietnamese government.
Both of the narratives connect to the overall idea of the story that the issues of the Vietnam War still linger today. Vietnamese politics and continued violence, even decades after the war, are still issues in America.