"A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain" by Robert Olen Butler is a short story which evaluates Vietnamese still struggling with political issues and the war that has long passed. The author introduces this concept to the reader with the use of two separate narratives: the current story of a dying Vietnamese Dao,and his story of the past and of his frinedship with the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh.
The first narrative, where the writer introduces Dao to the readers shows the effects of the political struggles in Vietnam and their aftermath. Dao suspects that his son and grandson have killed a writer who had a non-popular standing on Vietnamese struggles. We can conclude from this narrative, that the destructive war has not lost its trate of causing conflict and misunderstanding between the Vietnamese people. It shows the state of chaos and confusion that still exists today.
In the second narrative the friendship of Dao and Ho Chi Minh is displayed with the use of past memories where Dao remembers working in the kitchen of a hotel with Ho Chi Minh. In this narrative we get to learn more about Ho Chi Minh's ideals and views on politics and religion. However the crucial part of this narrative and the whole short essay is the part where Ho realises that there are no borders in afterlife, there are no boundaries and none of the issues he worked so hard to solve are solved.
The thing that is bothering this leader throughout the duration of this conversation is not a political issue but simply one of the ingredients has has learned of in his teenage years. This is a symbol of, how at the end of all the fighting and chaotic politics; most of it does not matter.
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