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Symbols In The Mountains Sing By Nguyen Phan Que Mai

569 Words3 Pages

1955 marked the beginning of a devastating war that Vietnam was about to face. The war politically divided the Northern and Southern regions of the country. Although many may comprehend the battles between the rise of communism or capitalism, the effects on families and ways in which they overcame such harsh situations are often overlooked. Instead, wars are frequently represented through statistics and lists of chronological events. It is important to comprehend these wars on a more personal level. Nguyen Phan Que Mai does an excellent job of portraying the struggles of families during the Vietnam War within her novel, The Mountains Sing. Within the novel, themes emerge regarding the way in which one may overcome devastating events. Symbols in The Mountains Sing are used to convey that a dependable family can withstand any capacity of hardship. This allows the author to emphasize …show more content…

Despite the Tran family seeing their home destroyed, instead of faltering, they rebuild it. Toward the beginning of the novel, prior to the war, Huong describes that the bang tree was "planted [when Grandma Dieu Lan] built the house" (Nguyen 43). Huong implies that the tree is a representative of the family in a sense, seeing as the tree grew strong, the family was able to as well. After the war, however, both the tree and the home are destroyed alongside each other. Although heartbreaking to discover, Grandma Dieu Lan does not give up. On the contrary, she wishes to rebuild the strength which was stolen from her family, saying, "We'll plant another tree and build another house." (Nguyen 44). Through the action of planting the tree, the family shows growth and resilience. Que Mai utilizes the bang tree to symbolize the strength that the Tran family holds. This further enforces that by trusting in one's family, stability can be rebuilt, and therefore hold together a family regardless of

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