Importance Of Setting In Ru

The Momentous and Valuable Setting of Ru A story's setting has enough influence to change messages and characters of a story and to forge bonds between the reader and the author. Likewise, every setting is remarkably important in the novel Ru by Kim Thúy. The settings in the novel inform the reader about the characters and story, and amplify the emotions and change throughout. The settings expressive nature in the novel Ru acts as its own character, amplifying and revealing the emotional storyline and creating a deeper connection between the reader and the characters. The settings throughout Ru reveal details about the characters and create deeper connections between the reader and story. Throughout the novel, the main character, An Tĩnh,

The connection helps one understand her and see her experiences through her perspective. Here, An Tĩnh describes some of the appalling conditions in her cabin at the refugee camp, then contrastingly connects it to different types of art. This exhibits that no matter how harsh the world may be, she will continue to see the artistry of her hardships. The detailed setting proves the significance of this memory to An Tĩnh. The refugee camp completely contrasts with what she had been used to her whole life, now she was no longer guaranteed the future she was promised. These realizations engrained this memory so vividly in An Tĩnhs mind, hence the extensive detail in the text. In full, her experience in the refugee camp has changed who she is as a person and has become a part of her identity. Although her experiences in Vietnam and Malaysia were grand parts of her identity, the inevitability of losing part of that identity after so long in the west, remained. While dining in a Vietnamese restaurant, the waiter serving her tells her that she is now more American than Vietnamese: “But the young waiter reminded me that I couldn’t have everything, that I no longer had the right to declare I was Vietnamese because I no longer had their fragility, their uncertainty, their fears. And he was right to remind me” (Thúy 78). The reminder that An Tĩnhs Vietnamese Identity has been overcome by her American identity shows the emotional aspect of this change. She no longer was overcome with worry, skepticism, frailty, but rather she was self-assured, therefore she could not declare herself Vietnamese. This change in identity forces her to face the emotions surrounding the loss of a valuable part of