One thing that I learned from watching the PBS Documentary on the Vietnam War was that the United States had warned Diem about the possibility of a coup. U.S. officials had told Diem that if he continued with his actions they would have to publicly opposed and that could cause coup in the near future, yet Diem continued anyway.
The two narratives that are combined in “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain” are the conversations that take place between the main character, an old man named Dao, and his old friend Ho Chi Minh each night, along with the conversations that take place when Dao’s family come to visit each day. The conversations between Dao and Ho remind Dao of their youth when they were close friends and worked in a hotel together. The conversations also trigger memories of the struggles Dao and other Vietnamese faced during the Vietnam War. This suggests that even though the war is long over, the effects of it are long lasting and ever present in the lives of the Vietnamese. The conversations that take place when Dao’s family come to visit show that some of the struggles faced in the past are still taking place, even though Dao and his family had moved to America. Those conversations force Dao to think that his son-in-law and grandson had a part in the murder of a local Vietnamese man who wrote about his positive views towards communism.Both of the narratives connect to the overall idea of the story, which is that the Vietnamese are still struggling because even though the war is over, they have brought the problems to their new homes. Ho has brought his problems with him to the afterlife, while Dao’s family has brought them to America and for that reason none of them can be at peace.
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One of the things that I learned from watching the PBS documentary on the Vietnam War was that the United States had warned Diem about the possibility of a coup. U.S. officials had told Diem that if he continued with his current course of action, they would have to publicly oppose him and that their doing so could cause a coup in the near future, yet Diem continued anyway. I thought this was interesting because I was surprised Diem would continue with his actions even after he had been warned.
ReplyDeleteThe two narratives that Butler combines in "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain" are that of Dao speaking to his old friend, Ho Chi Minh during the night and that of Dao speaking to his family during the day. Many of Dao's conversations with Ho remind him of his youth when the two were close friends and allows Dao to reminisce about the past, when things were simpler and there had been no war. The conversations between the two also revolve around the idea that Ho is unable to remember how to create a specific recipe which symbolizes his inability to finish the Vietnam War due to his death. As more and more of the recipe is remember by the two friends, Ho begins to reach an inner peace, something that Dao is also struggling to do as he prepares for his death.
The narrative between Dao and his family shows that the struggles of Vietnam are still taking place in America. The conversations lead Dao to believe that his son-in-law and grandson were involved in the murder of a local newspaper editor who was killed because supported recognized Vietnam as a unified country and accepting that the world had changed. Dao’s son-in-law and grandson on the other hand, are still living in the past and fighting against communism.
Both of the narratives connect to the overall idea of the story which is that the Vietnamese are still struggling even though the war is over. Their problems have accompanied them into their new lives and will not let them live peacefully. Dao’s family is still living in the past and viewing things as if they are still involved in the war. Comparatively, Ho is unable to achieve peace because his problems have accompanied him into the afterlife where he struggles to find stability through remembering the glaze recipe.