The Quiet American: Discover Graham Green’s prescient political masterpiece

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Alden Pyle takes second billing in this drama. He is the titular American, an undercover CIA officer who – in a few more years – would have fit perfectly into John Kennedy’s New Frontier, one of “the best and the brightest,” a brilliant Harvard grad almost overflowing with pet ideas and grand theories, along with the idealism to believe that the proper application of those ideas and theories could solve just about any problem. So does Greene, but he evades that damning appelation. And so did Keats: he evades it by distancing, Anthony Burgess' jaundiced view of him notwithstanding. Besides the lives of these four men, the book charts the early predecessors to the CIA active behind enemy lines in WWII, through to the early arenas in which the CIA grew including Eastern Europe and SE Asia. The Quiet American's content gets 5 stars (if not 6). The writing, on the other hand, gets 3 stars (if not 2). Good on a structural level but painful on a sentence by sentence level (imo). I knew I was in for a tough ride when the last sentence of the preface made my head hurt:

Jumping forward to two weeks after Pyle’s death, Fowler visits Vigot. Fowler insists that he’s not engagé—in other words, he’s not politically involved with either side in Vietnam. Nevertheless, Vigot insists, Fowler has chosen sides. Privately, Fowler thinks that he’s a suffering prisoner with a life sentence. Throughout my academic journey, I delved into the rich history of cinema, analyzing groundbreaking films and studying the techniques used by master storytellers. The story's very ambiguity steadily feeds its mysteriousness and power, and Danielewski's mastery of postmodernist and cinema-derived rhetoric up the ante continuously, and stunningly. One of the most impressive excursions into the supernatural in many a year. Shortly thereafter, Fowler and Phuong, who are still lovers at this time, go to the Continental Hotel to drink and dance. That night, Fowler thinks about his turbulent relationship with Phuong. She is much younger than he, and her sister, Miss Hei, is irritated with him for being unable to marry Phuong—Fowler is married to a woman, Helen Fowler, in England. At the hotel, Fowler is surprised to find Pyle, whom he greets. Pyle, Fowler, and Phuong move on to the Chalet, another local establishment, where Pyle, who speaks bad French, politely asks Phuong to dance. Pyle is a poor dancer, but his gallantry makes Fowler conscious of his own age and coarseness. The book is well written and well researched, providing a searing indictment of the organization's hypocrisy in its quest to battle communism, which caused the four men profiled to either quit in disgust, fade into obscurity, or go insane (literally).So, drugged and dropped-out in his down-for-the-count habits, like the principal character of this novel - who is a world-weary opportunist - he distances the innocence of Pyle in much the same way as John Keats stylistically distances his own too-Personal experiences through the romance of literate and storied rhyme. The theatrical release ran 118 minutes. [4] Subsequent television and video releases cut 17 minutes, and run 101 minutes. Cut were: love scenes between Fowler and his young mistress, Phuong; Pyle's courtship of Phuong while Fowler is away; and much of the exposition of the police investigation at the end of the film. The story is set in 1952 in Saigon, Vietnam ( French Indochina at that time), toward the end of the First Indochina War (1946–1954) in which French forces fought the Communist-led Viet Minh rebels. On one level, The Quiet American is a love story about the triangle that develops between Thomas Fowler, a British journalist in his fifties; Alden Pyle, a young American idealist, supposedly an aid worker; and Phuong, a young Vietnamese woman. On another level it is also about the growing American involvement that led to the full-scale American war in Vietnam. Suffering is not increased by numbers: one body can contain all the suffering the world can feel. I had judged like a journalist in terms of quantity and I betrayed my own principle; I had become as engaged as Pyle, and it seemed to me that no decision would ever be simple again.

The Quiet American” introduces readers to a cast of intriguing characters who shape the narrative in profound ways. In this section, we will delve into the complexities of Thomas Fowler, the seasoned journalist, and Alden Pyle, the enigmatic American. We will explore their motivations, their flaws, and the choices they make that propel the story forward. Additionally, we will shine a light on other notable characters who play pivotal roles in the intricate web of relationships woven throughout the novel and the film adaptation. Memorable Quotes: Insights and ReflectionsAfter being released from a hospital in Saigon, Fowler receives a response from his wife, who refuses to grant him a divorce. He lies to Phuong about his wife’s decision, and he writes a letter to Pyle telling him not to worry about Phuong any longer. Pyle confronts Fowler about the lie, telling Phuong she has been cheated. Soon after, Phuong leaves Fowler and moves in with Pyle. A Murder Mystery: Did Fowler kill Pyle or have a hand in his killing? The head police detective thinks so and he questions Fowler several times in the story. What does Phuong think? What does Phuong know?

Fowler has a live-in lover, Phuong, who is only 20 years old and was previously a dancer at The Arc-en-Ciel (Rainbow) on Jaccareo Road, in Cholon. Her sister's intent is to arrange a marriage for Phuong that will benefit herself and her family. The sister disapproves of their relationship because Fowler is already married and an atheist. At a dinner with Fowler and Phuong, Pyle meets her sister, who immediately starts questioning Pyle about his viability for marriage with Phuong. This is a cautionary tale about the involvement of America and Britain in the French War in Vietnam. Reading this book was a great way to learn more about the First Indochina War. Even if it had no lasting literary merit, Graham Greene’s The Quiet American would have its place in the canon of prophetic novels. At the time it was published in 1955, Vietnam had only recently emerged from the First Indochina War, which had ended France’s long colonial rule. Following the 1954 Geneva Conference, the country had been partitioned between North and South, with elections scheduled for 1956. The second issue was that a lot of the committed anti-Communists floating around Europe in the late 1940s were also committed Nazis who had participated in the Holocaust. Sichel was actually a Jewish refugee himself who wound up working with Nazis under a strict policy of "I don't care what you did during the war." Working with Nazis and war criminals provided a propaganda victory to the Soviets, and also seems to have minimal intelligence value, as most of these assets traded off of stale historical insights from the war, and were more concerned about avoiding accountability for their past than producing good intelligence. Major conflict The major conflict in The Quiet American plays out between the cynical and ironic Englishman, Thomas Fowler, and the sincere and serious American, Alden Pyle.For fans who want to immerse themselves in the world of “The Quiet American,” this section offers tips on how to channel the style and essence of the main characters, Thomas Fowler and Alden Pyle. From fashion advice to recreating their looks for cosplay events or themed parties, we provide insights into their wardrobe choices and the significance behind their fashion sense. Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast or simply looking to pay homage to these iconic characters, this section has you covered. Graham Greene: A Brief Biography