The short story, “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain” written by Robert Butler, follows an elderly vietnamese man, Dao, in a late stage of his life. The story is able to combine two different narratives. Dao feeling close to his death, attempts to come to peace with his life and the memories he has. Both the narratives involve Dao being visited. In one narrative he is visited by his family, including his daughter, Lam, son in law, Thang, and grandson, Loi. In the other he is visited by an old friend, Ho Chi Ming.
In the visit by his family Dao seems to want to stay away from a conversation that is against his beliefs. It seems that Thang and Loi may have been a part to a recent murder of a Vietnamese political writer. Dao slowly begins to close his eyes and pretend he is not listening in order to further himself from what he does not want to hear. Eventually his daughter tells them it is time for the family to allow Dao to rest.
In the second narrative Dao has a three night talk with the spirit of a dead friend and political leader Ho Chi Ming. The first words spoken by Ho are, “Dao, my old friend, I have heard it is time to visit you.” This is in reference to the Vietnamese tradition to visit those who are close to their death. The two talk about their memories in Europe and simple things like when they worked in a hotel in England. There is where Ho worked as a pastry chef and Dao as a dishwasher. Talking about these things seems as a way for them to worry less and just remember good times with each other.
The two narratives come together to represent the past and the present of Dao’s life. Not only Dao’s life, but the Vietnamese people who still continue to face hardships even in his new residence in New Orleans, Louisiana, far from where things originated. The two narratives also show the strong Vietnamese connection with their families. Ho was such a part of Dao's past that he is basically a family member to him. The story ends with Dao hoping to find peace in an afterlife with the help of his already dead friend Ho Chi Ming.
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