Due to the plane crash occurring in the middle of Bridget's particularly vexing interview with the American journalist, I thought the crash was foreshadowing Bridget's life going up in flames. Not only is this symbolism true with her upcoming divorce and Huan's adoption complication, the plane crash itself was a real event. It was the first plane to take off as part of Operation Babylift, but due to a malfunction shortly after takeoff, the pilot was forced to crash land into a nearby rice paddy field. Out of the 300 lives on board, 50 adults and 78 children were killed. As this was the first flight of the mission, people's hopes for survival must have plummeted like Bridget's did after witnessing the crash. Knowing babies were aboard that plane tempered her optimism to return home. The inclusion of the plane crash is also used as a climax for Bridget. Her husband and her parents think she's dead and begin planning their lives without her. When Bridget manages to reconnect with Roland, he's upset she can't come home and decides to end their marriage. Bridget is confident that her life will return to normal when she's heading home, but that overconfidence or cockiness may lead to her downfall.
By Lauren S.
Your use of the first plane crashing as a metaphor for Bridget's downfall is very thought-provoking. While Bridget's life at home has already been falling apart, it seems that she does not really realize it, and I like your idea that she experiences time a standstill. She evidently is not aware of how emotionally detached her husband has become in her absence, and the plane crash is an instrument of foreshadowing, since she will not be able to take Huan as she wished to, and since her husband will likely not forgive her for her absence.
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