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.

Man of the House

Throughout chapter twenty until the end of chapter twenty-three, Kien, already having lost his childhood, moves from taking on adult responsibilities, to the man of the house while his mother and grandparents are away. In my image, I drew Kien very large to signify his growth. He is the size of a house and everything that has had an effect on him is placed inside of him. For example, the loss of his dog Lulu, his sexual assault by Lam, and being the sole provider of his siblings while his mother is away. Up until the end of the chapter twenty-three it seems that Kien has lost hope of ever seeing his mother again, and has to begin coming up with plans to keep himself and his younger siblings alive. With the new pressure of taking on the role as a father figure, Kien begins to image what it would be like if he just abandoned them, as he believes his mother has already done. All of these obstacles have tested Kien and put his childhood on the hold, which is defiantly going to affect him throughout the rest of the memoir. 

By Tori R. 

Touching the Soul

In the memoir, Kien seems to have a fascination with words like hands, shoulders, push, pushing, embrace among others. The words appear almost every other sentence in some way. It almost seems as though Kien felt the events of his life in a very physical way. He describes both pain and pleasure not with emotions but rather with touch. He describes the air conditioning embracing him as he entered the room at the U.S Embassy. He falls in love with Kim when he touches her hand. He feels comfort when his Aunty Dang touches his face. At the end of the memoir, Kien has a conversation with his grandpa where he gives him very wise advice. He tells him, “Start living. What is the point of obsessing over something that has already happened, and that you cannot change? Live! And be merry. Remember Grandpa’s advice when you have your own family someday” (312). Grandpa advices Kien to move on. To find a way to let go of the past and be happy. This is especially important because Kien has gone through very traumatic things in his childhood. He essencially didn’t have a childhood. Grandpa, in his wisdom, helps Kien transition into the next phase of his life. Kien doesn’t have to survive physical traumas anymore. Now he has to survive his thoughts and traumas. Forgiveness is now the new phase of his life. Now he must survive in America and find a way to forgive those who harmed him.

By Karen S.

Finding Strength through Dispair

Kien is forced to grow drastically throughout the novel, but it isn't until the moment that he sees and hears his dog being murdered that he starts to lose the very thing that makes him innocence. His dog is given to his cousins, by his mother, in what seems like an act of betrayal on part of her. Khuon's actions are questionable and cruel. She allows the one thing her son loves the most be taken away and killed in front of him. She neglects his wishes to keep the dog, and allows it to die. Khuon truly understands the extent of the hatred that her sons will experience, and she tries to get them to realize just how bad things will become. By allowing Lulu to die, she hopes to strengthen Kien and Jimmy. They must be prepared mentally for what is to come. She hopes to make them understand that all they have is themselves and everything else in the world can be taken away. In attempts to making her children stronger individuals, she only broadens the gap between Kien and her relationship.



By Steve M.

Pregnant with Uncertainty

In the beginning of the memoir The Unwanted, by Kien Nguyen, Kien's mother Khuon is pregnant. Throughout the pregnancy, there is a strong sense of uncertainty that looms around the family. Not only is the family faced with the hardships of life under the communist regime, but they now have to deal with the responsibility of taking care of another person. On page 128, Khuon's pregnancy is yet again treated as a problem: "In the last few months of my mother's pregnancy, the stress was heavy for all of us." The pregnancy is significant because usually babies are a symbol for hope and new beginnings. In this particular case, the baby is looked at as an omen for more hardships that are in store for Kien and his family. The baby represents the uncertainty that the future holds. Khuon refers to the baby as an "it", rather than a person. This is one of the ways she deals with the stress of not knowing how she will be able to take care of another person, while living under communist rule. The baby is a constant reminder of desperate situation Kien and his family are living in. Surviving in a society that placed them in impoverished conditions created many obstacles to overcome. The baby represents the consequences of Khuon's past transgressions that the family will not be able to hide from.

By Andrea M.

Loss of Humanity

Two moments that struck me the most in The Unwanted were Lulu's death scene and Kien's rape. Understanding, or even trying to understand, how individuals can be capable of such cruelty is next to impossible. Perhaps one could say that their behavior is a result of the effects of war, causing these individuals - Khuon, Kien's cousins, and Lam - to act or behave so horrendously. Their actions, specifically Kien's cousins and Lam's, could even be a product of their hate they harbor towards Kien's family for their past actions and lifestyle...? Whatever the reasons may be, they are inexcusable - effectively stripping Lam and the cousins of their humanity. Similarly, Khuon's choosing to take Lulu away from Kien and allowing his cousins to torture her right in front of him, raises the question of her own humanity. Kien's grandfather states that she is "destroying" him, while she claims that is for his own good and is meant to help him become a man. Khuon has suffered through much, yes; yet does that excuse her behavior and allow her to treat others - especially her child - with such blatant cruelty and disregard? I do not believe so. On the other hand, one could argue that it was not an act of pure cruelty and that she was in fact doing so for the sake of her child's future, preparing him for worse to come. Could there have been other ways for her to do this? Perhaps... Yet, it goes to show how war and tragedy breeds dysfunctional judgement and reason, ultimately destroying parts (if not all in Lam's case) of people such as Khuon.

By Jordan M.

The Decay toward Finding Hope

As the close of the memoir approaches. a shift in outlook begins to emerge from hopelessness to one of renewed hope. The biracial and capitalist prejudice left Kien and his family ostracized, may now offer them a chance of freedom in America. His being Amerasian will give the family a chance at new life. What had to be endured to reach this opportunity can be shown through the description of Kien's mother's hands. Once beautiful and fair, now aged hardened, and wrinkled. Hands that have experienced decay and hardship. Loan's jade and kindness allow the promise of the family's escape and remind the reader that beneath the atrocity of the Vietcong Regime, a small seed-like act of kindness remained.

By Cassandra V.

Cultural Limbo

      While reading this memoir, I continually imagined the same visual representation of what it must feel like to be Kien – an Amerasian individual in communist Vietnam. I compared the idea of being an Amerasian in communist Vietnam to the idea of being in Purgatory – neither here nor there, living in a constant state of cultural Limbo. I chose to depict my mental image, with a few minor changes. Purgatory is normally depicted in between Heaven and Hell, so I thought to parallel those two with a representation of the Untied States of America and one of Communist Vietnam. In the three sections, I depict a variation of the American flag as the top third, Purgatory as the center third, and a representation of the communist Vietnamese flag as the bottom third. In the grey Purgatory “river,” I chose to draw small boats floating along, each one has a sail with a key word or name written on it, as these are the individuals I believe to be living in this state of cultural Purgatory.  

      By Erica R. 

·    

Turtle Island

This representation of Turtle Island is of the danger surrounding the attempted escape by Kien and the inversion of the image of the protectiveness of a turtle’s shell. First off, there are four symbols of a skull and cross representing the four dangers explained to Kien as they approach the island to catch the next boat. Starting from the bottom of the representation, the first two skulls are in the ocean and on the beach. The frigid waters and patrolling Communist boats, respectfully, are the biggest dangers leading up and away from the island refuge. While Kien is not caught by a Communist patrol, he is forced to escape the tragedies of the island by swimming to shore. Mrs. Dang is claimed by the icy depths however. The next skull is the ring of trees above the beaches and the stick figure with an axe wandering. This representation is about the looming danger of being discovered by illegal lumberjacks who would possibly kill the discovered, in fact one does end up killing several escapees before Kien escapes, in order to not be discovered by the Communist government. The last skull is outside of a fortress hanging the flags of the South Vietnamese Government. While there is no description of where the rebels reside, the remnants of the old government are known to hold the top of the island against Communist incursion, killing all those who would trespass on their small territory.

By Patrick T.

Selfless or Selfish Survival?

Throughout The Unwanted, each character does whatever it takes for their own sake of surviving in a Communist setting. It is rare to read as well as witness any character acting selflessly. When Loan marries Mr. Tram, she admits doing so for her own protection as well as Kien, Jimmy, and BeTi's protection (151). Miss San sacrifices herself for the sake of the boat people to have their own chance at freedom and survival (156). Khuon sacrifices her absence from her family, a mother shortly abandoning her children, her family for her survival in order to gain money to keep her reputation at hand from having her Capitalist past (156, 208). Kien sacrifices his own well being when he steals the potatoes from Pink in order to feed himself and family (159). Although Kien and his mother may seem their acts are selfless, they only project their acts as selfish.

Each character makes individual sacrifices for survival to live in a world that has taken their freedom, rights, and individuality. Kien states these actions are normal because this is the life they've succumb to living (156). If one is not willing to do what he/she must, then death will follow. Kien and his family are now of lower status then those surrounding them within the community. Barely any food, no furniture, and very little money to herbs for grandmother to survive any longer and because of this, Grandmother passes away with very little chance to survive. The family was unable to provide and selflessly care for her properly. Years are passing by and every action made is to live the life the Nguyen family is forced to outlive.

Perhaps there are signs for a better future with the hold on to hope; however, at this point of the memoir, Nguyen depicts the reality of Darwinism in the unwanted more than any literary theory. Though the content of Darwinism in literature is not as vicious as of animals in the wilderness in the survival of the fittest definition, but it is a sense of survival and the point in what an individual is committed to do to stay alive and well. The Nguyen family is surviving in a new world they never have had to deal with, they don't like it, have struggles, but they're stronger in their force of survival even if that survival is left selflessly to perhaps carry on without anyone else but themselves.

By Sarah R.

Cleanliness

"According to my mother, those children were either too dirty, or I was too clean" (6).

I felt that this quote is all encompassing of the memoir's tone, which effectively furthers the message. Kien Nguyen is a child who is not "whole" in everyone's eyes. His mother loves him and there is a strong sense that the family unit is of highest importance in the Nguyen family. In his mother Khuon's eyes, Kien is too pure, too privileged, and too clean to be contaminated by the world around him- too innocent.  Contrarily, Khuon experiences a transformation as Saigon falls; she treats her children like parasites, and calls them, "bastard[s],... snot-nosed parasites" (50). At this point, we see the innocence is lost. The back cover of the memoir discusses a sense of the "unwanted"-ness for those who are part American, such as Nguyen, and this encompasses the idea that he is perceived as too dirty. With the fall of Saigon, the loss of innocence has changed the perception of his family and he is now essentially unwanted. It can be seen in the way Khuon encloses her children within the walls of her home- because inside his golden cage, he is too clean. Beyond the walls, he is dirty.

By Hannah G.

Chaos

The Unwanted by Kien, Nguyen, opens swirling in chaos. It begins in such a beautiful, peaceful and idyllic setting. It is unsettling how quickly life unravels for Madame Khuon and her family. One moment they are having extravagant parties without a care in the world, next they are living in squalor with her sister.  It is at once satisfying and heartbreaking seeing Madame Khuon fall from grace. Even penniless, she is still arrogant and hateful towards people, including her own children. It is unsettling the way she treats her own children and her unborn child.  Its interesting that Khuon brings her nail polish collection with her to her sister's house. Her vanity is still her most prized possession. In spite of losing her home, her business and most of her valuables, Khuon struggles to hold onto her past life even if its only in the form of her bottles of nail polish. To her, they represent what she used to be. At a time when the world is crashing down around her, the nail polish is like a security blanket to her. Perhaps her nails polish makes her feel like she is still the same elegant and powerful women she once was, feared by all, desired by many. In spite of her selfishness, her strength and perseverance are undeniable. She accepts the mistreatment of government officials and apologizes to her former gardener who exacts his revenge on her. She recovers from the night spent in jail and carries on still holding on to what shred of her dignity remains. People enjoy watching others fall from grace. It is at once satisfying and painful watching Madame Khuon be mistreated and having her fortune and social status stripped away. No matter what happens to her, Khuon is still the elegant fierce woman from the beginning of the book. Time and hard work take a toll on her body and her looks, but she maintains her fierce personality.

By Christina B.

Longing for Meaningful Touch

"Lying half asleep in his embrace, I looked up and saw on his face the same expression I saw on countless lonely faces every day. It was the homesick look of the children lost in the chaos of warfare, witnessing death and disaster, longing for a meaningful touch" (Nguyen 70).

Throughout the narrative, Kien is keenly aware of the other children in Vietnam; first, it is the children he's unable to play with who catch his attention, and later, it's the orphaned children who huddle together in the streets of Saigon. In this scene, he recognizes the child in the soldier who, like all of the children Kien sees, has been physically, culturally, familially, and spiritually lost to the horrors of war. In a similar way, Kien also has been lost, but his longing for community and meaningful touch began long before he was aware of the war. The trauma he experience, then, was created by his mother's shame over his mixed ethnicity combined with her pride for being a successful business woman in a world typically run by men. Her lack of coping skills and obsession with appearances further contribute to her inability to display affection in traditional ways, leading Kien to search for affection and companionship in unusual places, like with the American soldier he met as a small child. Kien is aware of the suffering experienced by other children in part because of his own suffering, and although it was perhaps different in nature, Kien too lost the sense of close and safe family bonds that children need. His recognition of the same type of loss in the young soldier further speaks to Kien's own loss, and his lack of control (like a soldier) over what comes next.

By Brittany K.

White Butterflies

Before Kien is allowed to board the plane to America, the policeman who asked him for his documents tossed his papers into a pile of papers from other "anonymous forgotten families" (334). Kien describes his flying sheets of papers as white butterflies, a motif that represents his adult freedom from childhood hardship. The metamorphosis of immature insects is often described by Kien whenever he undergoes painful experiences while he is in the process of developing more experiences in his life and growing from it. Kien’s maturity is presented when he retreats into a white cocoon after Lam raped him to protect himself without the help of his other family members, shouldering the responsibility to protect his brother when he refused to seek any help from Lam’s threats alone. When Kien retreats to his cocoon, his actions present a fear of adulthood as his method of coping with it is through retreating into an object reminiscent of childhood. At the end of the novel, Kien also describes his surroundings as a "silkworm transform[ed] into a caterpillar" when he had nightmares of his past even after he found a new life in America (342). In this instance, Kien uses the symbolic silkworm to convey to his audience that his childhood fears in Vietnam have only been transformed into a similar fear, of stressfully taking more adult responsibilities, in the form of a caterpillar when he is in America. However, at the moment when Kien's papers are presented as butterflies, the images of a worm and caterpillar, which are associated with his difficult childhood, are not present during a milestone in his life where he will be free from a society that had restricted his success, due to his association with the reactionary class that the Vietnamese government opposed. Kien is freed temporarily from his childhood associated with being a silkworm and in a cocoon through the description of butterflies, which is associated with adulthood, when he is given the hope of leaving his Vietnam to a new country away from his experienced tribulations as a child.

By Bonnie Y.

Kien vs. The World - Literally

At the top of the page, there is fire. At the bottom, water. Kien had to endure the extremities of the two elements in multiple situations: whether it was working in the reeducation camp in the scorching heat or being pummeled by waves for the sake of chasing a sense of freedom. Kien was constantly betrayed by both people and the environment. The only person he was able to confide in was Moonlight. Her absence is [not] represented by the minuscule stars on the page - a night sky without its main attraction: the moon. Her essence was hope, the brightest light in a dark place. Without her "light" guiding him, his path to freedom became unclear. Kien is portrayed as a child in the center of the page. After fourteen years, he's lost a significant part of his childhood. All he wants to do is drop all responsibilities that weren't his. Around him is a python, a representation of the cold-blooded people around him who constricted him and prevented him from growing/living freely (ex: the capitalists vs. communists, his mother who left him with responsibilities, his aunt who strips him of his human rights). Though he cried, he was an incredibly resilient little kid - so rightly portrayed as a statue-like figure, making it known that he can go unharmed even with a python coiled around him.

By Shirley T.

His Mother's Hands

Much like the front and back covers of the book symbolize a passage of time, I believe the description of Khuon's hands are an analogy of the hardships experienced by Kien and his family. After ten years of trying to survive after the fall of Saigon, Khuon's once beautiful hands, her most treasured feature, are now "deformed," "wrinkled," and "covered with calluses and leatherly from the sun" (338). In the beginning of the memoir her hands were a symbol of her affluent lifestyle, polished and well-tended; but in the end, the sacrifices and hard labor she endured for the survival of her family took its toll on her mind and body. I believe Nguyen saves the descriptions of his mother's sacrifices for the ending because it is only when he is older that he finally understands the many difficult decisions she made in order to protect her family. Describing her hands puts the family's struggle in a microcosm that parallels the physical and emotional abuse that was inflicted on them as a result of the new system of government. Everything was taken from Khuon, including the blood in her veins (318). It is only with the filter of maturity, and a chance at a new life, that Kien can come to terms with understanding his mother's perspective on survival.

By Candice V.

Mrs. Dang's Letter to Khuon

There is a letter addressed to Khuon from Mrs. Nguyen Dang. Mrs. Dang mentions her mixed feelings about Khuon’s failure to leave Saigon. On one hand, Mrs. Dang being happy that she won’t be alone because Khuon missed the flight out of Saigon makes Mrs. Dang seem like a selfish person. On the other hand, Mrs. Dang feeling sad for Khuon’s situation makes her at least have empathy. The letter continues saying that Mr. Dang and his two children have escaped to Bangkok, but Mrs. Dang couldn’t follow. Despite that, she remains hopeful that Mr. Dang will send a helicopter back to get her. She plans to use that moment to help Khuon and her family escaped. While the escape plan originally was her husband’s idea, Mrs. Dang is showing a sneaky side to her as she helps her friend.

By William H.