Grandmother's Eggplant

The water color painting depicts Kien Nguyen's grandmother losing control of her bowels next to a jack-fruit tree. Her foot resembles a rotting eggplant because of the swelling and decay of her infection. The color use reflects her body's decay and the decay of the communist state. The fruit and vegetables represent the ironic state of the government. Instead of building the nation's postwar solidarity, the government promotes discrimination and hate. The consequences displace many Amerasian children and supporters of democratic values. The hammer of justice lies sideways because the corrupt state's bias clearly shows when Nguyen's family continues to struggle because of their past lifestyle. The grandmother's pain and endurance reflects the fighting spirit of the Nguyen family and their will to survive in the corrupt postwar Vietnamese government.

By Ivan R.

The Destruction of Home

The drawing above is a representation of Kien with the image of his former house and new home in the background encompassing his head.  Kien's former home is drawn in ruin which is meant to represent the destruction of not only his home, but former life in Vietnam before the communist party took over.  His family has lost almost everything due to the war, not only physical possessions, but also the stability of Kien's family as a unit and his innocence once he lost the security of their manor.  Their home was comprised of large walls and gates that provided the family with luxury and security from the cruelty that lived outside.  With both Kien and his brother having white heritage, their manor protected them from the outside world and when that was gone their differences were exposed and ignited cruelty from those that could not accept their differences.  The destruction their home can also signify the destruction of Kien's childhood and his mother, who was not only the provider, but he and his brother's chief protector.  Once she began to crumble under the pressure of the of their new reality, it was apparent that she was just as fragile and could only withstand so much just as their former home.

By Jessica C.

Solace through Brotherhood

In the depiction, Kien and his younger sibling Jimmy are looking upon the raindrops at night to illustrate how they both support one another through the encounter experiences they traverse. The raindrop scenery the brothers gaze on serves as a temporary means to escape their troubled realities, and as a reflection tool to find solace through their memories. Although their situations look bleak in many of their confrontations, the brothers have each other, helping them get through their challenges. The picture also depicts a moment were the brothers bond strengthens as the moment will become a shared memory for them.

By Nelson M.

The Sphere of Annihilation

In this visual representation, I depict Kien inside the sphere of annihilation staring deeply into an abyss while holding his knees tightly to his chest. After being sexually assaulted by Lam, Kien experiences feelings of extreme anxiety, sorrow, and pain. I place Kien within this sphere because it represents the current emotions that Kien feels after this dreadful experience. This sphere of annihilation leads to a void that represents absolute nothingness. This is indicative of Kien's current emotions because the violation changed his life and shattered his childhood along with his innocence into a thousand pieces. Within this sphere, Kien remains in a state of blackness and hopelessness since he feels as if there is nothing to look forward to anymore. This violation has also made Kien feel unlike himself. It has breached the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of Kien against his own will. It is important to note that Kien experiences this violation during the formative years of his life; as a result, Kien falls into a void of meaning and understanding since nothing seems to make any sense. This sphere of annihilation has taken control of him and utterly annihilated his dreams.


By Estephanie M.

Revolve, Regenerate, Recycle

As Kien's story progresses, continuous imagery of revolving fortunes, revelation, and regeneration progresses and grows as well. A good image for these ideas is that of Lady Fortune, who spins the wheel of Fortune in Greek mythology, on a background of the Taoist Yin and Yang symbol. Both of these symbols revolve around the idea that the world is also constantly revolving and renewing its energies. Circling these two mythological images are the two dogs in the story, Lulu and Lou, who appear to be the same dog reborn, though each represent their master in a certain way. Lulu, representing Kien, has the name of a Western singer and has an injured paw, which parallels Kein's own emotional handicap. Lou belongs to Jimmy and flourishes more in a Vietnamese environment and has a Vietnamese name. Other revolutionary imagery exists in the book as well, such as, well, the revolution, in which class roles are reversed for Khuon and Mr. Tran, though Mr. Tran himself goes from the persecutor to the persecuted. There is also the constant shift from hope to depression as both life and death enter Kien's life in the form of his baby sister being born, the death of his dog, the entrance of his friends, the death of his grandmother, and the liberation from the death camp followed by the death of Moonlight.

By Alexis L.

The Power of Will

As Kien begins to lose faith in his future, he devices a plan to write a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Thailand as a means to revive himself from hopelessness. Luckily, they respond and ask him to go forth with the process of applying for the O.D.P. (Orderly Department Program). During this process, Kien faces the bureaucratic red-tape of filling out paper work, having them signed, but one document he or his mother are unable to complete is the Real Estate paper work. Although in the end the paper work did not matter, his persistence and determination is what gets him to America. The first lines from the U.S. Embassy states, ‘You have written to us several times in the past, requesting an application to resettle in the United States of America’ (280). He received this letter only after so many attempts at reaching them. This is a clear indication of his unrelenting diligence and tenacity. Even before this letter, Kien is unrelenting in his courage and determination to do what is needed for the well-being of himself and his family. This is evident when he goes on a journey to find food while his mother is away with Mrs. Dang. Kien goes from his aunt’s house, to the market place, to Loan residence walking several kilometers. He does not give up while he and his sibling struggle to continue suffering from starvation, exhaustion, and hopelessness. His ability to strive and be resilience in the face of adversity is a proof of his innate will and power to survive.  
By Elilta Z.

On The "Outside" Looking In

Kien Nguyen grows up facing an impossible situation as a young boy in Vietnam. This memoir is nothing like I have ever read before in the sense that he grows up very privileged with a very wealthy mother who has both business and intimate relations with American businessmen. Kien and his brother Jimmy are the result of these intimate relations. The first time that Kien knows that there is something different about himself is when Khuon has a lapse of judgment due to the political upheaval of South Vietnam, and soaks Kien and Jimmy’s hair in black dye in an effort to hide their American features: “As we kicked and screamed, she poured the dark liquid over us and marinated our blond heads for what seemed a long time [...] She loomed over the two of us with a crazed look in her eyes and pointed her forefinger straight at our faces” (41). Kien feels ashamed of himself for the first time as he realizes that his American facial features are not accepted by the current state of society. He is still not sure what it is that caused his mother to act in such a way but soon realizes his current “condition” when their cousin blatantly calls their attention to their “outsider” status. His cousin states, ““A half-breed is a bastard child, usually the result from when a woman has slept with a foreigner. Like you” (93). With the fall of South Vietnam and the takeover of Marxism, Kien represents everything hated by Marxist thought. Unfortunately for him, he cannot hide his face so he has no chance to avoid the scrutiny of the community, which often times, causes him pain, humiliation and a desolate feeling of hopelessness. It is admirable the way that Kien is able to survive in the community for ten long years, despite the hatred that is directed at him and the constant target he wears on his back because of things that happened in the past. Even though community leaders constantly reinforce the fact that everyone is equal, it is made obvious that there is a corrupt class system and that whatever efforts Kien makes in order to better his life will always be thwarted due to his western features and the association of his mother’s past with the hated Americans.

By Monika K.