The Color Red In The Best That We Could Do

In the graphic novel The Best That We Could Do by Thi Bui, we see themes like family, closeness, and identity. As a Vietnamese family fits into a new place, specifically the US, as violence and communism started in Vietnam, one of the most critical elements of this graphic novel is color. The color red is the most prominent, with red being a color that represents violence or hardship. In The Best That We Could Do, the red represents fear. The red shown on page 18 shows red smoke in the air as well as men with guns, with the words "Normally the streets are quiet during tet." This ensures that the violence, or red," is out of the ordinary and that war on the streets isn't common. Further, an image of a tank and many people running with a red background simply represents the distress of the people and the violence all around

Differing opinions on the matter share that red represents fear and the opposite represents joy. The fall of Vietnam clearly has fear drawn into it, even though some thought that the smoke is faced by those who thought to have lost their country, representing the fear they have for the future of their country. An image on page 28 shows small dead bodies, as the text says, "A SEA OF BLOOD," as a plane is shown dropping bodies on the floor with barbed wire and armed guards blocking a cluster of people. The Sea of Blood, as a whole, represents the violence that the leadership of Duong van Minh brought to North Vietnam. The image of Ma in Sai Gon, trying to escape as others try climbing the barbed wire fence, represents the fear of death, as the people need to leave and are all trying to get their families and themselves out of the possible sea of