Tuesday, May 24, 2016

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.

5 comments:

  1. It's really insightful of you to connect the two dogs as being the same, only reborn. I never thought of that as I was reading, nor did I make the connections that you made regarding the injuries (both physical and emotional) as well as the second dogs ability to flourish in it's environment. Thinking even further into this parallel, one could even consider the idea that Lulu's death is representative of the emotional death that he has experienced through having to give up his childhood and become the leader of the family, essentially become a man.

    By Hannah G.

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  2. I found the reference to the wheel of fortune very insightful. There is a clear sense of fortunes being changed through the reversal of social status in their society. Kien and his family are affected directly by the communist takeover. The parallels between Kien and Lulu and Jimmy and Lou provide evidence of a renewal. Throughout, the text there are many instances of transformation. As the family experiences the hardships of life under communist regime, they could be seen as being underneath the this mythological wheel. As the memoir progresses, Kien's fortunes get worse before they get better. His fortunes have definitely changed once he is able to leave Vietnam to take refuge in America. The memoir ends with Kien looking hopefully to the future. Kien is able to come full circle on this metaphorical wheel of fortune, which offers a sense of renewal for him as he is about start his life over.

    By Andrea M.

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  3. The drawing is beautiful. I love the way you integrated the idea of Lady Fortune spinning Kien's wheel. I had the exact same thought while I was writing my Analytical Paper. Kien begins his life at the top of Lady Fortune's circle, in his own private palace where he lived a carefree life. Then Lady Fortune spins her wheel and he falls. The wheel continues spinning, Kien is lowered further, going from one horrid life experience to another. Thankfully, by the end of the novel, Kien has cycled back to the top. This is represented with him flying to America, ascending to Paradise, the land of hope.
    I hadn't previously considered the idea of reincarnation within the book, but now that you have mentioned it, I can totally see it! I hadn't considered that Lulu and Lou were the same dog reincarnated, but it totally makes sense. Also, the way in which you described each dog makes me think they are the boys' spirit animals - Lulu to Kien, and Lou to Jimmy.

    By Erica R.

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  4. I had not considered the significance or presence of luck, or Lady Fortune for that matter, within the memoir prior to your post, nor the influence of Taoist beliefs or practices such as the yin and yang. The idea of reincarnation or rebirth did strike me while I was reading as well though, especially since the names Lulu and Lou are extremely similar. I like to believe that Jimmy did it intentionally as a way to honor his brother's loss and Lulu. This idea of reincarnation and/or rebirth brings to mind Buddhism as well - specifically rebirth as it is considered a fundamental of Buddhism.
    Of course, Buddhism is present within the text, so I'm curious as to what you make of the relevance of the Taoism you are incorporating here, in relation to that of the text's Buddhism? Does it propose a conflict or does it create a sense of unity?

    Jordan M.

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  5. Something I found really insightful was your incorporation of the idea of Lady Fortune and the Yin and the Yang to represent balance. With Fortune, it's like at a moment's notice anything can change and no one is really 'safe'. I feel like one of the most profound examples of this is the representation of Loan. Throughout the novel Loan is what I felt the most idyllic person for a communist society since she was loyal and obedient. When she enlists to serve the party and marries a prominent manin the community, it seems as though she would have been a perfect candidate for the reformation suggestion. But at the end where she is being taken away as an 'enemy' to the movement because of her association, it was like Lady Fortune just 'changed her mind' with Loan's position. It left me completely saddened that someone so true and loyal would face such an outlook. Also I feel like your depictions of the dogs are a creative choice on displaying how each dog can serve as a representation for the brothers. This idea of rebirth, and replacement is evident throughout the novel. The reversal of roles, positions, fall from wealth to poverty, low class to high class, are a display of the way balance is either evenly or unevenly distributed. Thank you for helping to bring about this discussion.

    Cassandra V

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