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.
Touching the Soul:
ReplyDeleteI think that Kien associates his time in Vietnam with physical touch on purpose because it is easier than letting this horror affect him mentally. For so long, he has suffered but it has all been physical for the most part. For example, the constant abuse from his cousins and his time at the correctional camp have caused him an extreme amount of physical pain. It is not so common that he is affected outright shoes the mental effects, only in extreme circumstances such as Lam raping him but even that, the reader can only infer what he is thinking. You have made a great point that he associates a lot of his experiences with physical touch instead of mental pain.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Kien experiences things through touch. He longs for affection, true affection from his mother which is the reason why in the narrative words like hands, touch, push, and embrace are used. Kien was not able to experience a loving touch the same way as he experienced it from he Aunty Dang or his grandpa, because it came from a place of hurt, pain, or wanting Kien to do something for her.
By Elilta Z.
It is true that Kien's experience is very physical. Violence, abuse, and touch fill the memoir's pages and dominate the majority of its events. However, I can't help but think if Kien associates what he feels with physical touch because of the war, or if it is a result of the lack of physical intimate touch he received - or didn't receive - when he was a child before the war. Considering this then, perhaps the physical associations he makes aside from the ones he experiences (i.e. his rape, being beaten, etc.) are his way of filling that lack thereof within him.
ReplyDeleteJordan M.
I like that you brought attention to the tactile sensations experiences by Kien as a way to share emotional connections. Usually, we believe emotional connections are more mental, but with the horrors Kien encounters throughout his childhood, the simple act of a touch can bring comfort in a way words cannot. I think Nguyen adds these small details throughout the novel to bring attention to situations when young Kien can’t express his feelings. In a world where Kien has been ostracized within his own community because of his physical features, it’s important to remember the times people embraced him for who he is. On the other hand, as the memoir reveals, not all physical contact experienced by Kien is positive. His mother’s nails in his shoulders, the beating by his cousin, and the trauma experienced by Lam are a few instances of lamentable contact with others. Human beings need physical contact to survive. Sometimes peace can be achieved just by being near another person.
ReplyDeleteBy Candice V.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI did not notice that Kien describes much of his experiences through his tactile senses, so thank you for the observation. I think that Kien's purpose for describing much of his physical senses is meant to overshadow his emotional senses which are more complex and may not be fully understood by his American audience who may not have experienced the exile he faced in his homeland. Even if Kien detailed his exact feelings about his experiences in his novel, whist being fluent in English, this may still lead to the loss of meaning in the descriptions due to the cultural differences that Vietnam and America have from one another. Using descriptions of physical senses that are commonly understood by others through the universal empathy for pain, Kien allows his audience to have a better sense and understanding of the combinations of feelings he felt in Vietnam that cannot be simply understood if he states what his emotions were during certain parts of his life.
Bonnie Y.