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.
Pregnant with Uncertainty:
ReplyDeleteKhuon is also detached from this baby because the father of this child is Lam, who has caused so much destruction in her life and betrayed Khuon so many times. In addition to that, Lam raped Kien, so as a mother, Khuon felt so much rage knowing what Lam did to her child. It is understandable for Khuon to feel detached from the life growing inside her, as its father is a monster.
There is no denying that Be-Ti's father is Lam. Although one cannot associate her to Lam. I agree that the hate and punishment she receives is attributed to her because of Lam's blood. However, Be-Ti represents a multiplicity of identity. She is only one child out of many struggling mothers in post-war Vietnam. Be-Ti's survival of the abortion herbs, her endurance of Kien's attacks, the long periods of starvation and tears. Be-Ti generality defines her a strong character. Her character appreciates the small delicacies of life.
ReplyDelete-Ivan R.
DeleteYou have said so many things that I had not even considered. Now that you mention that BeTi was sort of a bad omen, I can definitely see how she could have been more than just an inconvenience. What if BeTi really was bad luck? Perhaps the blood of Lam is cursed, thereby making BeTi a curse on the family. It seems that Kien's misfortune did not begin until the birth of his sister. Lam represented everything that Kien hates, especially after the abuse, and having BeTi around was a horrid reminder of the atrocious things her father did. She will be forever marked as having the blood of a foe, thereby making her susceptible to negative behaviors toward her. With this poor treatment of BeTi, the fact that they treat her like a curse, inherently makes her one in the first place. She has the blood of a monster, she is not, but it is her family that treats her like one, thereby making her one.
ReplyDeleteBy Erica R.
Although BeTi could represent and or symbolize the hardships of the Nguyen family, she could also represent a sense of hope with the same evidence you have provided. Khouan tried her best to dispose of BeTi’s fetus but throughout all those struggles and trails, BeTi would not die. Being the youngest—and a baby signifying innocence—she is the light of hope that throughout trails and tribulations, there is success and life at the end of all troubles. She is the human symbol/omen (however one prefers to refer to her as) that represents the hope that the Nguyen family can overcome all the poison dumped at them to be exiled, as Khoun was trying to exile and kill her daughter not wanting another child, whom yet still survives basking the ideologies of hope.
ReplyDeleteBy: Sarah R.
One of the melancholy qualities of BeTi is that she’s never without her pillow. Children use blankets as a form of security growing up. The fact that she sucks on the pillow reminds me of small animals that are separated before they are fully weaned from their mothers. Her only constant in the cruel existence she has been born into is this pillow. I feel this small detail that may be overlooked in the memoir reflects the relationship Khuon has with her daughter. BeTi did not get the attention she deserved as a baby and I feel that – along with surviving the abortion pills – this lead to her slow development. I agree that Khuon is distant from BeTi for a multitude of reasons, including Lam as the father and the economic hardship having a baby poses to the survival of the family. The last thing Khuon needed in her dire situation was another mouth to feed.
ReplyDeleteBy Candice V.
I think that BeTi's character suggests a symbol of hope for Kien's family. However, his mother, Khoun, does not perceive her pregnancy as a blessing, but rather as a mistake. For this reason, Khoun rejects his pregnancy from an early stage. It is possible that perhaps Lam also sexually assaulted Khoun. Even though it is not certain, it is possible because he also violated Loan and Kien. Khoun is immediately detached from her daughter and finds her presence annoying. Before she is born, she tries to have an abortion several times. After she is born, Khoun names her BeTi, which translates to little thing. It is evident that Khoun has no interest in forming a relationship with her daughter. For this reason I believe that Lam might have also violated Khoun.
ReplyDeleteBy Estephanie M.