A Quiet Book filled with Hidden Meaning

This review reveals major details about the book's plot.

Graham Greene's The Quiet American, is a view of life in Vietnam during the French-Indochina War. Greene's points throughout the novel focus on man's disregard for other human beings and the underlying racism that whites had toward the Vietnamese. Understanding the symbolism in the novel is also crucial because many of the characters have characteristics that relate the author's main ideas.
The characters in this novel are very symbolic. The following is a brief explanation of the technique Greene uses to depict Europe, America and Vietnam in the novel.

The character of Thomas Fowler is a British journalist who wants a Vietnamese woman named Phuong, not to make her happy, but because he fears being alone in his latter years. While he does have affection towards Phuong, his "love" for her is based on physical attraction. This is a reference to European imperialism. Fowler's jealousy of an American named Alden Pyle, who also has designs on Phuong, leads him to consciously put him in harm's way.

The character of Phuong represents Vietnam in the eyes of the Europeans and Americans. Several times throughout the novel she is depicted as scenery, rather than an individual with her own will. At one point Fowler describes her as being "invisible like peace." She represents the Vietnamese who at that time believed that "the will of heaven" was bound to happen. So rather than protesting Pyle and Fowler she goes along with whomever is "winning" at the time. The overprotective Pyle does not want her to become like other women that have resorted to prostitution. ref:"domino theory"

On the surface, The Quiet American tells the simple story of a naïve American and British journalist that break the rules for what they believe in. In depth, however, it shows the complexity of the conflicts between the Western world and the Vietnamese culture. Furthermore, it forces readers to take a closer look at the flaws of the past and with irony relate it to the present.

Since The Quiet American is seen through a British author's point of view, it does not necessarily condemn nor support Communism, the French or the United States. Is this right or wrong? - You be the judge. This is a valuable add to any historian's library and one of the few books that focus on this time in history.

I think that this is a very unique book because it gets the reader to think about very complex subjects like imperialism and racism without passing judgment. The fact that the author uses so much symbolism is also one of the books weaknesses, it is so deep that most readers would not get the point.