"A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain" chronicles the last days of an elderly vietnamese man's life as he reflects apon almost a century of memories. The main character Dao is visited by his family members in typical viatnemese fashion but he spends most of his time in his own mind reliving the pain and sacrifice that filled his lifetime. Robert Olen Butler combines the naratives of Dao, an ailing Vienamese man, and revolutionary Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh in a tale about two patriots who have come along way from where they were in 1917. In 1917 Dao and Ho Chi Minh lived together in a run down apartment building in London. They both dreamed of a better Vietnam. In his last days Dao is visited by his friend Uncle Ho in a series of latenight visits and he begins to contemplate how the mens' lives changed so greatly in the decades since they once shared a living space and a dream.
Dao is visited by his old friend on the last three nights of his century long life. They lived together and worked together in the kitchen of the Carlton Hotel. Ho was a pastry chef and his hands are covered in glaze everytime he visits Dao. The two share a dream for a better Vietnam. They both hope for equality. The two men quickly take divergent paths but they share a bond, a sticky connection that holds them together. This sticky glaze on Ho's hands is representing of this bond which lasts beyond a lifetime. Dao takes a religious path in life and conformed to buddhism. Ho took a political path and later became a leader of communist North Vietnam. Dao has recollections of sitting peacefully, as taught by his religion, as bombs fell on Ho's North Vietnames Army. Hos political work in Vietnam had created a comunist government that soon fought and tore apart Dao's South Vietnam homeland. Dao remembers his son dying as an innocent bystander to the war. A war faught against Ho's army. This leaves Dao imcomplete and hoping to meet his son in the afterlife. Dao's son was killed by Uncle Ho's army. Ho's "family" was responsible for the death of Daos innocent infant son. Daos descendants are guilty of killing a follower of Ho. A vietnamese man living in America was killed for a newspaper article saying it was time to accept Vietnam's communist government. Dao has reason to believe his son in law and grandson are responsible for the political murder. This murder of a sympathizer for Ho's cause further connects these two friends. Now Ho needs Daos help to remeber how to make the glaze and Dao needs Ho to help him remember the loss and suffering he has experinced for both his homeland and his family. They shared a dream of a peaceful Vietnam and though they took different paths they were both involved in the violence that still wears on the country. These two friends need eachother to remember the almost forgotten memories of their long lives. They started off innocently and they have come full cirlce to again rely upon eachother. The time spent working in the kitchen has kept these two stuck together and though they had once diverged and lived different lives apart they now are back together and still rely on eachother, only this time to piece together their memories.
"A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain" chronicles the last days of an elderly Vietnamese man's life as he reflects upon almost a century of memories. The main character Dao is visited by his family members in typical Vietnamese fashion but he spends most of his time in his own mind reliving the pain and sacrifice that filled his lifetime. Robert Olen Butler combines the narratives of Dao, an ailing Vietnamese man, and revolutionary Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh in a tale about two patriots who have come a long way from where they were in 1917. In 1917 Dao and Ho Chi Minh lived together in a rundown apartment building in London. They both dreamed of a better Vietnam. In his last days Dao is visited by his friend Uncle Ho in a series of late night visits. He begins to contemplate how the two men’s' lives have changed so greatly in the decades since they once shared a living space and a dream.
ReplyDeleteDao is visited by his old friend on the last three nights of his century long life. They lived together and worked together in the kitchen of the Carlton Hotel. Ho was a pastry chef and his hands are covered in glaze every time he visits Dao. The two share a dream for a better Vietnam. They both hope for equality. The two men quickly take divergent paths but they share a bond, a sticky connection that holds them together. This sticky glaze on Ho's hands is representing of this bond which lasts beyond a lifetime. Dao takes a religious path in life and conformed to Buddhism. Ho took a political path and later became a leader of communist North Vietnam. Dao has recollections of sitting peacefully, as taught by his religion, as bombs fell on Ho's North Vietnamese Army. Ho’s political work in Vietnam had created a communist government that soon fought and tore apart Dao's South Vietnam homeland. Dao remembers his son dying as an innocent bystander to the war. A war fought against Ho's army. This leaves Dao incomplete and hoping to meet his son in the afterlife. Ho's "family" was responsible for the death of Dao’s innocent infant son. Dao’s descendants are guilty of killing a follower of Ho. A Vietnamese man living in America was killed for a newspaper article saying it was time to accept Vietnam's communist government. Dao has reason to believe his son in law and grandson are responsible for the political murder. This murder of a sympathizer for Ho's cause further connects these two friends. Now Ho needs Dao’s help to remember how to make the glaze and Dao needs Ho to help him remember the loss and suffering he has experienced for both his homeland and his family. The fact that Ho has forgotten the recipe for the glaze is symbolic of the fact that Ho never truly mastered his personal life. Ho may have mastered the political world and been an effective leader he never perfected his personal and family lives. It was the little things in life that challenged Ho Chi Minh. The two men shared a dream of a peaceful Vietnam and though they took different paths they were both involved in the violence that still wears on the country. These two friends need each other to remember the almost forgotten memories of their long lives. They started off innocently and they have come full circle to again rely upon each other. The time spent working in the kitchen has kept these two stuck together and though they had once diverged and lived different lives apart they now are back together and still rely on each other, only this time to piece together their memories.