The Quiet American
In Graham Greene's The Quiet American, Greene uses the characters Thomas Fowler and Alden Pyle to represent a greater picture. In the interactions among these characters, he is simplifying the situation in Vietnam into a personal model to be viewed. Graham Greene developed the attitudes and personalities of his characters almost to be a condensed legend of the countries they represented. In their actions, and opinions formed on them by others, was a reflection of the general feeling overall in Vietnam. Alden Pyle is the title quiet American sent to Vietnam with orders. Seemingly he is quiet because he is the innocent, neutral party coming to aid by selling plastic. He has a good reputation, and is very curt and proper. Naive is best to superficially describe his demeanor; he is only trying to help. But ignorance is probably better to this character for hedoes not realize the destruction he is causing and does not realize that he is more meddlesome than helpf
No matter who wins the war, how will it affect most of thecountry? Will they not go back to doing the same thing they did the day before? And yet you have America coming in monitoring the war, aiding sides,imposing democracy. Are they both trying to helpVietnam? Or are they simply meddling in affairs that don't concern them. He denounces God, and points out the ignorance in Pyle, yet he says, "One has to take sides. So what side is Fowler on, though he claims he is just there to report the happenings of the war. Thomas Fowler is the main character in The Quiet American and he is the embodiment of his homeland, Great Britain in the story. Greene is portrayingEngland's views of the situation in Vietnam through the eyes of their representative, Fowler. Such is the case with Pyle and Phuong. But actually harming in trying to help Pyle as a character and as the symbol of his country was portrayed of promising the Vietnamese things, trying to forge for them a new life they did not need nor understand. Fowler is not very fond of Pyle and sees his actions as cold and cruel. And yet perhaps as England, he is trying to not get in to involved in emotions of the situation as he claims Phuong is needed by him as only a sexual object. This is seen with his relationship with Phuong as he woos her away from Thomas Fowler with promises of skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty. Phuong and the majority of Vietnam, the peasants, know nothing but their simple existence. And that is exactly what Graham Greene istrying to portray this character's representation of the United States.
Common topics in this essay:
Liberty Phuong,
United Pyle,
Fowler Fowler,
Vietnam Seemingly,
Graham Greene,
Phuong Greene,
Alden Pyle,
Quiet American,
Pyle America,
Thomas Fowler,
quiet american,
thomas fowler,
trying help,
situation vietnam,
graham greene,
alden pyle,
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Acceptance Essays
