Ideology in The Quiet American
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The involvement of the Western powers, primarily the French and the United States, in Vietnam was based on an imperial ideology that saw the West as superior and the East as inferior. As events unfolded, it became clear that the ideology of the West did not apply in Vietnam. The tragic results of nation-building in the Third World by the West are examined in the 1955 Graham Greene novel The Quiet American, and in director Philip Noyce's 2001 movie of the same name. By viewing the Vietnamese as inferior, it was easy for the Western powers to believe that the Vietnamese were not a people deserving of their own independence. Under the guise of liberating and protecting the Vietnamese, the country was utilized as a Cold War battlefield following World War II. The French and Americans in Vietnam believed they had the moral and military might to determine the destiny of Third World countries like Vietnam. In both the book and film, the character of The Quiet American, represented by Alden Pyle, symbolizes the blind arrogance of the West that it knows what is best for the East. A major theme is how blind adherence to an ideology can turn into destructive acts. Ideology makes it unnecessary to confront issues on an individual basis, oversimplifying a situation. Pyle is the nanve, ideologically committed young American filled with rigid theories he developed about the meaning and nature of the conflict in Vietnam. He developed his theories before arriving in the country, so they
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to meet him at a restaurant to which he will never arrive; the Communist HengÆs men will kill Pyle. Ironically, there will of course be many more Pyles to cause much more destruction over the course of the ôAmericanö war.
As different as their views are, Fowler and Pyle like each other and are friends. Complications arise when Pyle goes after FowlerÆs mistress, a beautiful, passive, young Vietnamese woman named Phuong. Once again, PyleÆs motives and behavior are noble; he even intends to marry Phuong. Fowler, however, is devastated. He has built his life around the presence of Phuong, in spite of the fact that he has a wife in England who will not divorce him because she is Catholic (she eventually agrees to a divorce). Pyle, in contrast, has more stability û as well as youth û to offer Phuong. Phuong is a symbol of a colonized country. A graceful, self-absorbed woman who goes with the flow, she has no true understanding of the colonizer.
The world-weary Fowler is a reflection of the dying power of Colonialism. He loves Vietnam, not just Phuong, but the sultry weather and beauty of the landscape, and he shows respect for the people. In spite of this, he doesnÆt speak Vietnamese, never bothering to learn because he assumes the
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Approximate Word count = 3723
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)
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