Thursday, May 17, 2018
Anger and Projections
When reading "Motherland," I got the sense of Huan's alienation. At first, Huan feels out of place, aware of his Amerasian difference from the full Vietnamese natives. Since the story is told from his perspective, I sympathized with Huan especially after being harassed by an overly aggressive police officer. However, as the story unfolded, it became apparent that Huan was hesitant and scared of visiting his past orphanages and Vietnam in general and was projecting his own insecurity onto those around him. He spend so much time being angry and looks to blame anyone he can for his feeling of alienation and feeling of being an outsider that he never takes the time to realize how blessed he's been to have a family and people who love him. It takes Mai to give her perspective about her own experiences fleeing the country by boat and her time living with the Reynolds for Huan to ultimately understand just how many things he has taken for granted - a home when he arrived in America, a loving mother, and a generally normal childhood. Mai says that she knows better about her attitude towards the war and her experiences as a child now that she's matured and tells Huan that heir situation is not anybody's fault really. With Mai's help, Huan ultimately comes to terms with his life and finds some closure within himself, as evidenced by the lines, "It was a war. It was."
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This part of the chapter with Mai confronting Huan was somewhat difficult for me to understand, but your explanation on Huan projecting his own insecurities onto others makes sense. Mai tells Huan that he isn't the only one who's faced prejudice being a Vietnamese raised in America. Mai has also faced her share of discrimination but has learned to brush it off as they don't know any better and not give them the satisfaction of getting bothered by them. Mai is not only reminding Huan that he took his childhood for granted, she's also helping him move forward past the discrimination that comes with his easy childhood.
ReplyDeleteBy Lauren S.
Mai and Huan have a connection that I feel is important for both of their development. They build a sense of community. Mai has gone through some of the same feelings that Huan is facing in Vietnam and she helps him go through them in a way that helps him understand himself. Mai and Huan also do not have the same background in terms of origin, as Mai was a “boat person” and Huan a child adopted through the Operation Babylift. Their pasts are connected through a cultural land only partly, as Huan does not remember Vietnam, but their connection through war is a marvelous point to look at. Coming to terms with their pasts as being influenced by war is a major step for both of them, and they create a community that does just that.
ReplyDeleteMarcus H.
Huan is lucky to have his family and a friend like Mai to support and educate him about his surroundings. Huan feels very disconnected from his life and acknowledges that he isn't part of where he grew up because he doesn't know the language and culture. Mai helped him, guided him to being able to identify who he truly is and how grateful he should be for the environment that he grew up into. Gwen seemed like a supportive and encouraging mother that loves him dearly. Clearly Gwen knows that Huan isn't hers through blood but she considers him as family. Mai and Huan have a connection that doesn’t have to do with their culture. It is a unique friendship that has been developed throughout the years. Mai cares very deeply over Huan. It is acknowledge through the sacrifice of being on this trip.
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