A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain, is a short story about an elderly Vietnamese man, who in his last few days reflects upon his life, mostly those that he knew, and the actions that he took. This story takes place over three nights, and each night Dao is visited by Ho Chi Minh, a good friend, and his close family. This procedure is common in Vietnamese culture, and is to be expected. I think that the two narratives used in this piece are Dao’s relationship with Ho, and Dao’s relationship with his family, as he is in his last few days.
While Dao is visited by Ho, they discuss their relationship and the beginning of the relationship. They met while working in France, in a pastry shop, which is why every time that Ho visits, his hand are always covered in sugar. Throughout their discussions they reflect on their time spent in France with great ambitions, and poor conditions, their religious choosing, and how the country of Vietnam was changed by Ho. However, no matter how the conversation turns, it will always come back to the sugar on Ho’s hands, leading the readers to believe that the time that these two spent together working was a very important time in each person’s life.
The second part of this story is how Dao feels about his family. While he does appreciate what his daughter is doing for him, he also feels that some of the family members are being insincere and are only there because they absolutely have to be. He has very strong feelings about his son-in-law, and his grandson, believing that they are involved in the murder of a Vietnamese man in their current city of New Orleans.
I believe that the overlying idea of this story is the history of Vietnam. While it seems clear that Dao has one very vivid memory of Ho, perhaps that is how he thinks that the country of Vietnam also remembers Ho, as a person in one period of time. It is possible that they view him as they want to , and don’t necessarily get, or even want the whole picture. As far as the family goes, I think that his mixed emotions are symbolic of how some Vietnamese citizens feel about the government, as well as their fellow citizens. Some may feel betrayed by their country, others may feel insecure, and others may welcome it. His feelings are very mixed, as are the feelings of the Vietnamese people after the war.
A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain, is a short story about an elderly Vietnamese man, who in his last few days reflects upon his life, mostly those that he knew, and the actions that he took. This story takes place over three nights, and each night Dao is visited by Ho Chi Minh, a good friend, and is also physically visited by his close family. This procedure is common in Vietnamese culture, and is to be expected. I think that the two narratives used in this piece are Dao’s relationship with Ho, and Dao’s relationship with his family, as Dao passes through his last few days.
ReplyDeleteWhile Dao is visited by Ho, they discuss their current relationship and the beginning of the relationship. They met while working in France, in a pastry shop, which is why every time that Ho visits, his hand are covered in sugar. Throughout their discussions they reflect on their time spent in France with great ambitions, and in poor conditions, their religious choosing, and how the country of Vietnam was changed by Ho. However, no matter how the conversation turns, it will always come back to the sugar on Ho’s hands, leading the readers to believe that the time that these two spent together working was a very important time in each person’s life.
The second part of this story is how Dao feels about his family. While he does appreciate what his daughter is doing for him, he also feels that some of the family members are being insincere and are only there because they absolutely have to be. He has very strong feelings about his son-in-law, and his grandson, believing that they are involved in the murder of a Vietnamese man in their current city of New Orleans.
I believe that the overlying idea of this story is the history of Vietnam. It seems clear that Dao has one very vivid memory of Ho, and perhaps that is how Dao thinks that the country of Vietnam also remembers Ho, as one person in a period of time. It is possible that they view him as they want to, and don’t necessarily get, or even want the whole picture. As far as the family goes, I think that his mixed emotions are symbolic of how some Vietnamese citizens feel about the government, as well as their fellow citizens. Some may feel betrayed by their country, others may feel insecure, and others may welcome it. His feelings are very mixed, as are the feelings of the Vietnamese people after the war.