Viet Thanh Nguyen The Refugee Analysis

American is the land of freedom and opportunity. It is a place where anyone can take refuge from harm and pursue their own dreams. However, in the novel, The Refugees, by Viet Thanh Nguyen, it reveals another perspective of being a refugee in the United States. As the author reveals the events of his life, he was faced with the question of his identity. Because he was a refugee, he faced conflictions between where he stood and where he belonged. Nguyen emphasises on the confusion of his identity because of his Vietnamese culture and the American teachings he learned. He reveals this issue through the inquiry of certain practices of the community, the mixed views about fighting the Communist and Nguyen family’s interactions with one another.

In the chapter, he naively asked the questions, “How much are you giving Mrs. Hoa?... they’re fighting the Communist … Shouldn’t we help them?”(Nguyen 53). He asked these question to find out why his mother doesn't want to join the cause. At the same time, he purposely show his immense desire to help fight the Communist. Nguyen does this to specifically reveal how he was influenced by the teachings in America, affected by America’s patriotism to help the cause of fighting the Communist. This patriotism gave him a place to belong although he was a refugee. However, his parent’s views conflicted with the view that he had. His mother said,”The war’s over”(Nguyen 53). His mother’s response showed her disinterest with the war. The way she viewed the war was based on Vietnam’s pacifistic tendencies, where she didn’t want to participate in a losing war. Similar to his father, where he says, “The war may be over, ... but paying a little hush money would make our lives a lot easier” (Nyugen 53). Nguyen’s father neither denies nor confirms that the war is over. However, his father’s response purposely shows his pacifistic view of the fight against the Communist. Having take opposite sides, Nguyen felt outraged that his parents doesn't take the same stance as him. The author has personally found a place to belong in the matter regarding the war. Yet,with conflicting view with his parent, he has not found where he truly belong