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.
In times of war, people lose who they are when faced with impossible circumstances. Obviously, what Lam did to Kien is inexcusable and horrid, but I see Khuon’s actions with Lulu as her trying to make Kien grow up and realize that his life for the next ten years will be harsh and devastating, much like the pain he experiences when watching Lulu die at the hands of his cousins. Therefore, living in a post-war society, it is hard to judge people but fortunately, Lam got what was coming to him because for me, his actions stand above and beyond all others as the most evil and despicable acts in the entirety of the book.
ReplyDeleteI definitely question Khuon's though process, but I think I'm mostly willing to forgive her and trust that she was a woman broken by war and great loss who was trying to do the best she could for her children and didn't always know how. Pre-war, she seemed to have constructed her identity through the many of the offices she held (business woman, town leader, decision maker, beauty, power holder, commander, master, owner, controller) *except* for mother, and the loss of all of those things was far more jarring and damaging than I think we can possibly understand. She didn't know how to be a good mother because previously, being a mother wasn't the most important part of her life. Making her children and their well-being her sole focus was very new to her, and I think it's not totally unreasonable to think that she'd mess up sometimes. Now, I'm absolutely not saying that what she did was right; rather, I think that for me at least, empathy allows me to forgive her.
ReplyDeleteLam is in a completely different boat for me. Lam is garbage. Lam is a predator, and Lam was a predator before the war (raping Loan). I don't think we can really say that the war made him this way or that war-related trauma is the root of his evil/crimes - he's just a disgusting, horrific human being.
What do you think? After finishing the memoir, do you still think that Lam's "evilness" (for lack of a better term) is the product of war trauma?
Brittany K.
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteI think you raise a good question by asking, “…does that excuse her behavior and allow her to treat others - especially her child - with such blatant cruelty and disregard?” I have a hard time answering this question for myself. If I base my judgment solely on the incident about giving Lulu to the cousin’s for them to torture and kill, then I will have to definitely condemn that action and behavior. However, in terms of her overall behavior I cannot condemn or judge her character because I can’t even imagine the pain and suffering she has endured therefore it’s almost impossible to judge what I have not experienced or witnessed firsthand.
By Elilta Z.
I agree with you Jordan, Lulu’s death was one of moments that struck me the most as well –the act infuriated me. I don’t think entirely that war is to blame of the cousins’ inappropriate behaviors, but more prone on how the parents raise their children overall. On the perspective Kien witnessing the torture, it was done so he would acknowledge and point-out that she will not always be there to protect him from dreadful outcomes, and that he would have to figure out solutions himself; I believe there was no better alternative for Khuon to give to his son Kien.
ReplyDeleteNelson M.
I definitely agree with you. Lam’s actions, along with Kien’s cousin’s actions can only signal some hidden trauma in their past, which they have endured and they are either incapable or unable to process and heal from in a healthy way. I think war is a definite contributor to this delay. Those two scenes were definitely very impactful for me but one other scene, which really impacted me, was when his cousin Tin physically batters Kien. Reading those lines made me cringe with pain for Kien. At times I find it so hard to believe that Kien’s own family mistreated him so much just because of his biracial identity. I also agree with you that Khuon’s behavior is not excusable and perhaps her father’s words did make an impact on her because after that Khuon changed and she stopped doing things that would “destroy” Kien.
ReplyDelete-Karen S.