Innocence, Ignorance, and Idealism
In Graham Greene's The Quiet American, the themes of naivety and innocence are in constant and direct conflict with the reality and crudeness of the Vietnam War. Sometimes Greene sees innocent people as helpless victims of the devastation others wreak, like the soldiers who are killed when Fowler and Pyle shelter in their tower. More often though, he regards innocence as a kind of pre-moral condition. There are frequent references to the ignorance of the innocent character of Alden Pyle. An extremely idealistic and naive American, Pyle represents the innocence of the inexperienced who are exposed too early in life to a situation as concrete as a war in the battlefield. The innocence of Pyle is displayed through his ruinous idealism that culminates in his murder, his work for General Thé, and Pyle's personification of America as an international powerhouse.
Innocence is perceived as dangerous because it prevents Pyle from seeing how he could and is injuring others. Idealism is a form of innocence, but it differs in that it is capable of so much more damage to society. It is used to justify extreme actions, just for the sake of it. Pyle is clearly the representation of idealism, and Greene goes on to write how there is no place for idealism in warfare. It is selfish and impractical; nothing in the world is ideal, nor is it capable of becoming so. The Quiet American seems unusual in that it presents a case against innocence, a characteristic that is usually seen as virtuous. Idealists present a particular predicament because the nature of their principles excuses them from blame for the destruction, which they certainly cause, which is why it is described as "a kind of insanity." (163) Through Fo...
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...cter of an American in order to show the imperceptiveness of Americans towards an unfamiliar culture on the opposite side of the planet and the senselessness of the intervention in general. The character of the young American Alden Pyle is naïve and convinced in the rightness of his deeds, even though he actually brings on a tragedy. His innocence poses a problem in that his good intentions informed by the simplistic belief that the world can be fixed and things set right only succeeds in killing people. On the war grounds, the only matter of significance is survival, not idealization. It is about fighting to live and being in control on the battlefield. Hence, in this story, innocence is simply a very dangerous thing to hold on to. In the end, Fowler blames innocence alone for the demise of Pyle, and he speaks of innocence as if it were a curse, and not a strength.
Through this essay, we have depicted three characters of “The Ugly American” and highlighted the Special Operations imperatives displayed by such characters. We saw how characters such as Ambassador Sears displayed negatively the use of such action and contrasted them against those of MacWhite. I also included a politically independent character, Atkins, who provided us with imperatives who are more personally embedded in his character. The SO imperatives provide us with the guidance to succeed through their application. Through the novel we saw multiple examples of the benefits and consequences of their application, and lack of. Clearly understanding their purpose and application is paramount for the success of our forces.
...it may help us arrive at an understanding of the war situation through the eyes of what were those of an innocent child. It is almost unique in the sense that this was perhaps the first time that a child soldier has been able to directly give literary voice to one of the most distressing phenomena of the late 20th century: the rise of the child-killer. While the book does give a glimpse of the war situation, the story should be taken with a grain of salt.
They are a framework that guides a SOF soldier while dealing with foreign counterparts or other interagency actors. The characters in The Ugly American either live up to the imperatives or contradict them through their actions. Father Finian is a model for how a USSF soldier should conduct themselves with their counterparts; he embodies several of the SOF Imperatives as displayed in his vignette. This occurs when Father Finian anticipates and controls the psychological effects by recruiting his Burmese counterparts and by launching the propaganda campaign. Characters like George Swift do not display any part of the SOF Imperatives. He is similar to Joe Bing and Louis Sears; careerist bureaucrats who are more concerned with cocktail parties than improving US foreign relations. George Swift makes a critical error by not recognizing the political implications of his actions and sabotages Hillandale’s opportunity to influence the Sarkhanese king. The third kind of character, a character like the Ambassador Gilbert MacWhite, has the best intentions of the United States and foreign relations, but makes an error in violation of one of the SOF Imperatives. He attempts to ensure credibility and legitimacy by trying to raise the standards for the U.S. foreign service workers. MacWhite did not fully understand his operational environment as displayed in the Li Pang and Donald exchange. The Ugly American offers an alternative to the prominent American attitudes of the time and suggests a framework for US foreign relations. It also stands as a warning. The novel cautions against arrogance and mediocrity; it explains that communism (or other threats) will only triumph through American
Paul and I are united on the grounds of age and nothing more, yet somehow, while following him through his service in the War, I feel connected to him. After finishing the novel, I ruminated on this idea for some time and eventually came to the conclusion that the connection I feel with Paul is a mixture of empathy and envy. I empathize with him because he put down the pen and took up the rifle in service of his country, just as I would do if called upon. I envy him because he exudes the qualities of a brilliant soldier, meticulous narrator, and man of faith even in times of mortal danger, especially in times of mortal danger. In the midst of the worst bombardment he has yet to face, Paul shines his brightest by illuminating in vivid detail not only the hellish onslaught unfolding around him, but also the intr...
“I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another (263).” Powerful changes result from horrifying experiences. Paul Baumer, the protagonists of Erich Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front utters these words signifying the loss of his humanity and the reduction to a numbed creature, devoid of emotion. Paul’s character originates in the novel as a young adult, out for an adventure, and eager to serve his country. He never realizes the terrible pressures that war imposes on soldiers, and at the conclusion of the book the empty shell resembling Paul stands testament to this. Not only does Paul lose himself throughout the course of the war, but he loses each of his 20 classmates who volunteered with him, further emphasizing the terrible consequences of warfare. The heavy psychological demands of life in the trenches and the harsh reality of war strip Paul of his humanity and leave him with a body devoid of all sentiment and feeling.
A society, a place, an attitude, an expectation---all of these contribute to a character’s response to threatening forces. Tim’s insecurity ignites in the Cold War, where the world tatters into two extreme ideologies, and “certain blood [is] shed for uncertain reasons”. Tim remains “politically naïve” until one day a draft notice flies into his pocket. He is conscripted to “fight a war he [hates]”---the Vietnam War. Confusion, rage, exasperation freeze his mind: Why me? I am not a hero! I am too good! I hate wars! But all of them melt into a “silent howl” inside his head. Tim’s summer job in a meatpacking plant allows him to envision himself as a soldier. “Standing for eight hours a day under a lukewarm blood shower”, holding a massive water gun, he “[removes] blood clots from the necks of the dead pigs”. The carcasses and the gore evoke the disturbing images of brutal and merciless battles in his mind. His body shivers and sweats run down in his face, as if he is torturing the political enemies, and their blood is splattering everywhere for absurd reasons. When he goes home, Tim is irritated by the obnoxious smell that “...
...display how the average citizen would see war for the first time. Colonel Kelly sees her as “vacant and almost idiotic. She had taken refuge in deaf, blind, unfeeling shock” (Vonnegut 100). To a citizen who even understands the war process, war is still heinous and dubiously justified when viewed first hand. The man who seems to have coldly just given away her son’s life without the same instinct as her has participated in this heinous wartime atrocity for so long, but it only affect her now because she cannot conceive of the reality of it until it is personally in front of her. That indicates a less complete political education of war even among those who war may have affected their entire lives. The closeness and the casualties of this “game” will affect her the most because she has to watch every move that previously could have been kept impartial and unviewed.
The novel All Quiet On The Western Front contains many incidents where the readers can hold characters responsible for their actions, however his novel in particular relates to the clash of values. Though fictional this novel by Erich Maria Remarque, presents vast detail through the conflicts at the Western Front. Corporal Himmelstoss a character in the novel is portrayed as a stereotypical military man, whose actions, when all's said and done, speaks for itself as the reader really does not question his iniquitous behaviour. However, apart from just the reader holding such characters morally accountable for their actions the novel concerns the rejection of traditional values, Paul’s disillusionment, and life opposed to death. Through such clashing of values, Remarque creates a confronting novel where the plot is for the most part articulated around values in conflict.
In conclusion, the main point of The Green Berets was to convince its audience the Vietnam War was essential; conversely, the Ugly American attempted to berate it. However, it is also clear that both had a common goal; one that expressed the cruelty war can have. John Wayne’s defeat-all-communists approach was becoming a less popular opinion by the time the movie was released. Instead, the ideals The Ugly American conveyed were the most popular. Unless these two styles of thinking are reconciled, the countries of the world are destined to be trapped in a prolonged war.
If there were one word to tell what the theme of the book was it would be innocence. How we are all innocent at some point, how to try to keep our innocence, and how no one can keep their innocence forever. We all fall from our innocence. Adam and Eve fell from grace and innocence and set the tone for all of our lives. Throughout the whole book Holden is trying to make people keep their innocence and he wants to hold onto it himself. What he needs to learn and does learn through the course of the book is that no one can keep his or her innocence. We all fall at some point, but what we have control over is how hard we fall.
Earnest Hemmingway once said "Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." (Ernest Hemingway: A Literary Reference) War is a gruesome and tragic thing and affects people differently. Both Vonnegut and Hemmingway discus this idea in their novels A Farewell to Arms and Slaughterhouse Five. Both of the novels deal not only with war stories but other genres, be it a science fiction story in Vonnegut’s case or a love story in Hemingway’s. Despite all the similarities there are also very big differences in the depiction of war and the way the two characters cope with their shocking and different experiences. It is the way someone deals with these tragedies that is the true story. This essay will evaluate how the main characters in both novels deal with their experiences in different ways.
Search for Innocence in American Modernism. American Literature from its very beginning has been centered around the theme of innocence. The Puritans wrote about abandoning the corruption of Europe to find innocence in a new world. The Romantics saw innocence and power in nature and often wrote of escaping from civilization to return to nature. After the Civil War, however, the innocence of the nation was challenged.
Frank, America’s mother, Browning and the whole system are responsible for all the negative impact on America. First, America’s mother forced America to suffer by deserting him with his brothers. Second, Browning deliberately uses America for the purposes of achieving his immoral ambitions. Finally, the system is guilty for backing away from America when he needed the system the most. The novel shows the reader that how America lost his ability to trust someone ever again and how after a lot of struggles and pain, how he was able to gain that belief to ever trust someone once again. After reading this novel, people should acknowledge the fact that, these are individuals who have gone through a lot of pain either emotionally or mentally and it is not easy for them to recover and be able to live a normal life once again. So in order to avoid turning someone into America, people should always there prior attention to these people and help them to be able to come out of their fears and to be able to live happily once
In "A&P" Sammy changes from an immature teenager to a person who takes a stand for what he believes is wrong which is reflected in Sammy's words and actions. This paper is composed of three paragraphs. The first paragraph deals with the immature Sammy, the second concentrates on Sammy's beginning his maturing process, and the last focuses on his decision to take a stand no matter what the consequences are.
William Faulkner’s Light in August (1932) is an investigation of the dilemmas of the modern Man. Faulkner examines the psychological as well as the social motives behind humans’ confused identity and weird behavior through the portrayal of his different characters in a constant search for their true selves. Alwayn Berland in his book Light in August: A Study in Black and White states that Faulkner “dealt directly with the largest human dilemma: what gives value and worth to human life? Why, and for what, do human beings strive?what is the nature of virtue? of evil? What are the limits of human freedom”. This novel, centered basically on the character of Joe Christmas, illustrates best these ideas. Joe Christmas represents the most complex character in this novel; he stands as the vehicle through which Faulkner introduces his views about human psyche and the anxieties of the modern era in the post-bellum southern society. The complexity of this character represents a source of confusion and mystery for critics because of his “confused identity, ambiguous sexuality, volatile temperament” (Walsh, 2), and often violent behavior. There were always conflicting critical views in relation to this character, when some consider him the victim of his traumatic childhood experiences and the Southern society’s cruelty; others perceive that he is the novel’s villain and the embodiment of evil. Relying on the ideas of the German psychiatrist Alice Miller, this paper aims at stressing the importance of childhood memories in defining the mystifying character of Joe Christmas as well as accounting for Faulkner’s use of such character.