Emancipation and Freedom

The story titled "Emancipation" in the novel We Should Never Meet, by Aimee Phan. The character Mai is seen taking control of her life through education. This need for control was because “Mai hated feeling inadequate, especially for things that were out of her control” (146). As her life is further examined through the various stories presented, she can be said to have had no control of her life. She did not choose to be relocated to the U.S after the war and she also did not choose to be placed in the foster system. As a result of being a child in foster care she also had no control of choosing the family that she lived with. Because of this experience Mai was left feeling incapable of controlling her own life leading her to be unhappy. It is when she has to write a personal statement for a college application that she is seen as finally taking the control needed to “emancipate” herself from the life imposed upon her by the war. In this statement she writes about the life she has lived and what she plans to do in order to find a connection to her culture. After her "Emancipation" through college not only will she be free of the title refugee, but she will also be free to take control of her life as a college student paving a future she will feel like she chose it.

By Ada M.

Two Different Outcomes

It is interesting to read the contrasts and similarities between Huan's and Mai's characters show the two stories and Vietnamese War survivors. They both show two different outcomes of orphaned children in result of the war. They either got adopted as babies or were put into foster care because they were too old to be adopted. Huan's attitude is extremely negative compared to Mai's because he resents her for knowing her mother; an opportunity he never received. He also gets this aggression because he feels unwanted by his biological mother even though he was one of the lucky children that was placed in a loving home. At one point Huan even tells Mai she was lucky to know her mother and have some sort of memory even though she was not adopted and had no real family in the United States. The struggle with identity is clearly seen in Huan as he tries to connect with his vietnamese roots but fights with his American side when he visits the orphanage. During his visit to the orphanage he struggles with his identity because he does not feel a connection to it anymore but at the same time still has a desire to be remembered there. Mai on the other hand seems to be calm and collected throughout the story but at the end, reveals the true reason she had not returned to Vietnam. She did not want to feel the resentment that Huan was feeling. Just like Huan She also struggles with her feelings toward vietnam but expresses it in a completely different manner.

By Iliana T.

Black Jade

Black Jade 

Though the Amerasian orphans are entering adulthood in the United States, self actualization and self understanding feels like a maze to Kim, Vinh, and Mai, (illustrated within the American flag). With no history or family to guide them (in their journey into adulthood), they lack motivation and hope. It seems all along they long for the family and tradition that the gifting of the jade bracelet symbolizes to Liens grandmother. As she gifts Lien the bracelet, (upon her journey into the city and into adulthood) she does so while reminding her to always consider her family and family traditions in all her endeavors. In Liens family all children are loved and wanted thus the bracelet is covered in black to symbolize the loss of tradition and family values when Lien is separated from her child. The black gate represents the locked doors for the orphans, a metaphor for the life they are born into which holds limited, if any opportunity. In addition, it represents the desperate longing for love and family tradition (by the orphans) that they will never have.
Flora A.

Void in Vinh

The sketch of the jewelry box depicts Vinh's active effort to invade the trusted space of Bad Nguyen's bed to reach for the jewelry box that safe kept the valuable jewelry of Bac's late wife. Though Vinh scorned the efforts of his people in the U.S. that attempted to keep valuables and live fortunately, this action captures his desire to fill a void of purpose fueled by loss with the values/valuables of others, exclusively targeting the Vietnamese. In the moment where Vinh has escaped with the jewelry box and indulges himself in the beauty and value of its contents, it becomes apparent that a boy with no established values is pilfering that which he does not possess. This hand is in constant reach for something that will bring value. 



By Kristinah K. 

Family Tension

The story “Bound,” in We Should Never Meet, shows the dichotomy of Operation Babylift, and its volunteers, by using Bridget as its lens. Bridget provides her perspective as an American volunteer to reconcile the differences between a hostile American presence, and a benevolent one. Aimee Phan uses this chapter to show another attitude of the war and its fallout amongst the American people. She uses Bridget to juxtapose her family back in the states, and through this juxtaposition she shows that some Americans welcomed the orphans with open arms. While Bridget represents the positive spirit of this mass exodus, she is situated in a space that is shared by very few Americans. The most powerful evidence of this comes when her husband and parents speak openly amongst themselves, sharing their thoughts on the Vietnamese people, Bridget and the war. It reinforces Phan’s theme in the book of the orphans entering a world where they are beloved by few, and rejected by most. Bridget’s desire to adopt Huan as she leaves exemplifies the idea that some Americans adopt the children for the sake of adopting them, and to satisfy a self serving desire to appear righteous and merciful. While Bridget may have an altruistic reason for the adoption, the fact that she already has a daughter, who she does not have a strong relationship with, back at home casts a suspicious tone around her motivations. Her twisted situation works into the book as a whole because it further muddles the definition of family that is deconstructed in the other 7 stories. The exploration of the theme of family in this story is most powerful because while the rest are centered around people who are not biologically related, yet wish to develop a family like connection, Bridget’s situation sees her seeking that connection with an orphan while her biological relations fall by the wayside.

By:Robert R.

Bleeding identity

In my representation, I portray a painful, bleeding identity that takes shape within the innocent lives affected by war. The top flag, with the yellow star, is the flag of Vietnam post-unification. At the time, it also represented the Communist’s influence in Vietnam. The bottom yellow flag, with the red stripes, represented South Vietnam during the war. The Communist flag is covered in blood and is seeping onto the South Vietnam flag to symbolize the devastating bloodshed that affected families in Vietnam and (as one will see as the book progresses) in America. The characters of Kim, Mai, Vinh, Hoa, Huan, and Bridget evoke this identity crisis which stems from this bloodshed I depict in my visual. 

As for the Cherry Blossom tree, it is mentioned in “Gates of Saigon” on page 129. They are symbolic of beauty, femininity, and renewal. Using this symbolic meaning, the tree's blossoms are to represent the innocent lives. I stained the petals with a darker red as it grows closer to reaching the Communist flag. This serves to express the destructive touch of combat, which can spread from the soldiers to the casual civilians who are barely hanging on. In Phan's book, the aftermath of war has essentially robbed the character's agency in creating a wholesome new beginning. 

The American flag is running off the page, symbolizing America's efforts to retreat during that time. Yet, as seen in Phan's various short stories, no one came away from the war unscathed. The chaotic, black lines connecting the Communist flag and the American Flag, represent the repercussions of war and how it can distort a sense of self as an American or Vietnamese civilian, refugee, or Amerasian. Explicitly speaking of Phan's book, a variety of characters are left to reconcile disconnected relationships caused by the devastating effects of war. Which inherently affect the way Kim, Mai, and Vinh and Huan shape their identity's growing up in America

By Paige M. 

Doubt, Worth, and Belonging

Mai seems to be the most guilt-ridden person of her group of orphan companions. The way Mai thinks of herself, her goals and accomplishments, intelligence, and her over all good fortune seems to make her withdraw into herself even more. Most likely this distance she has created for herself is due to feeling like she does not measure up to the expectations of being an adoptee. Mai's anxiety is all self-induced because she assumes that her foster parents don't love or care for her as she thinks they would a child of their own flesh and blood.

Among the Babylift orphans that are followed in the collection of Aimee Phan's stories, Kim, Vinh, and Mai, Mai was the only one who was fortunate enough to be fostered, and by a good couple. She has security, affection, and doesn't really have many things to worry about -- other than paying for college, which she doesn't feel secured enough to ask her foster parents for help. Again, these small obstacles are all self-inflicted by Mai on herself, and they could all be answered if she felt like she could communicate with her foster parents. Due to this confusion and sense of not belonging, Mai has not yet found happiness and peace within herself and with the family she has gained.

Mai also seems to be struggling with her own image. She feels like she is lacking in physical beauty when compared to Kim, who is often praised for her beauty. These comments seem to bother Mai, and whenever she compares herself to Kim, Mai feels less worthy of her good luck in being adopted. Mai only sees the negatives which she believes she possesses, and because of these believed flaws, everything she thinks she shouldn't have is reinforced. Every insecurity Mai feels appears to be the root of her insecurities, which strengthens her doubt, worthiness, and belonging.

By Selene G.