ENG357H1 Lecture 8: ENG357 Lecture 8
Document Summary
Vietnamese and vietnamese soldier not generally addressed in western representations of the war. David bergen in tib sheds light on their experience, especially by developing a form of parallelism between former american soldiers (charles) mirrored in the experiences of north. See this not just in the inter-text, but in the parallel structure of the novel. Part one focuses on charles, and part two focuses on vu: a former north vietnamese soldier. Ada is the constant in both of these parts, but the emphasis between the two parts changes: relationship with father vs romantic relationship with vu. Novel isn"t careful to reduce the experience of vietnamese soldiers as copies. Unlike conventional narratives of vietnam, bergen has crafted a novel on a parallel. Novel encourages a shift in perspective: rather than stopping with part one and the plight. Novel setting up a mirroring technique between charles and vu. Like charles, vu is a survivor of war.
