Midterm

1. Bê says that she “crosses the threshold of woe” because she has just been expelled from school after taking the blame for locking her physical education teacher in the bathroom. She is guilty, but another student was blamed by the other teachers for this act. Bê admits her wrongdoing, unable to watch her classmate take the fall for her misbehavior, but is expelled from school. Bê, a child, recognizes that she has done something courageous and sacrificing, but she had taken her studies very seriously. She is ashamed to be expelled – being forced to leave school is the worst thing she can imagine happening to her.

2.

· Descriptions of local economy of Môc and his fellow villagers: they work in rice paddies, raise livestock and produce gelatin (pg. 201)

· The farmers roll their own cigarettes; an adoption of European pastimes (pg. 202)

· Descriptions of a traditional meal of snail soup, rice and pork with mushrooms (pg. 203)

· The old man tells a traditional story about a troop of monkeys, one of whom dies and is mourned by his compatriots (pg. 204)

· The visiting man asks for gelatin he believes will save his dying wife (pg. 205)

· The visiting man asserts that he will not be able to feed his five children if his wife dies – reflective of the patriarchal gender roles of traditional Vietnamese society (pg. 205)

· Môc advises the man that he needs gelatin from the bones of an albino horse in order to save his wife (pg. 206)

· They stop to eat at a pho restaurant (pg. 210)

· They are served traditional food by a female restaurant co-owner; her husband then requests more (also reflective of gender roles; pg. 215)

· Description of the wares of the merchants at market; Bê is especially affected by the scents (pg. 218)

· Dung brings the book Les Trois Royaumes, which he has practically memorized – emphasizes scarcity of books and near-poverty of people (pg. 229)

· Bê’s traditional medicine from the silk of ferns (pg. 231)

3. One of the most interesting things about this book was its childlike perspective. Bê has a strong sense of the difference between right and wrong, and thus presents the story unambiguously. Also, her unwavering acceptance of the structure of her society allows the reader to make his or her own judgments – they are not clouded by a narrator’s strong, adult opinion. For example, the description of the poor little fisherman boy and his family is presented in a straightforward manner. The reader can grasp the inequities of rural Vietnamese society, but is not outright instructed to do so.

Duong Thu Huong presents the positive and negative elements of a socialist society this way as well, especially in describing Bê’s experiences at her socialist school, where equality and standardization are most valued. However, Huong is able to present both the negative and positive implications of socialism in practice with two symbolic characters, Père Thê and Gia. Père Thê is the headmaster of the school, and he is able to adapt the strict confines of socialism to provide a warm, nurturing educational environment for his students. While he still pushes all the students to perform at equal levels, he is able to recognize their respective strengths and weaknesses. Gia, the physical education teacher, however, provides a foil to Père Thê’s character. He is intolerant of any sense of individuality in the students and this mindset creates a negative learning atmosphere. The reader is able to comprehend the rigid, controlled aspects of socialism in addition to Père Thê’s successful interpretation of its guidelines.

In addition to Huong’s interesting perspective related to the political and social systems of Vietnam, I also learned a lot about the country’s colorful culture as well as its geographical terrain. Bê’s journey evokes the beauty of the land as well as the strong sense of tradition felt by its people. It was valuable to read a novel from the point-of-view of a native Vietnamese woman, not only for her indigenous perspective, but also for a better understanding of the country’s traditional gender roles.