The novel Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Houng is a work which represents post-war Vietnam quite well, the author holding nothing back from it. virtues and evils of the nation of origin. Such is its unbridled frankness that the work has long been banned in its home country, but much of this seemed necessary to the author as the novel's clear intent revolves around exploiting the regime's glaring problems imperialist of the time and the profound effect it had. on its citizens. Perhaps the best way to sum up the problems the author sees with his country can be summed up in the varying meaning of the novel's bold title, delivering a scathing retort to his country's misguided leaders before even beginning the novel. This is truly a story that recalls the country in question, the setting evokes the aura of the cultural and natural landscapes, the diversity of its peoples and the inconsistent leaders torn apart by war after years of conflict. Through the use of these unique characteristics, the author is able to express his dissatisfaction with the system that has so entirely caused the suffering of the general population and chained them with mere illusions of containment and legitimate duties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In truth, Huong has an insatiable respect for his homeland, evident in such personal and nostalgic passages as “Evening sounds filled the air: rice was rinsed… women beating laundry on rocks by the pool, children shouting and arguing” (75), the novel as a whole characterizes the troubles that prevent him from enjoying his beloved homeland. Of course, this is not about her story but rather about a young Hang and her life experiences, the most significant moments being characterized but by the political and social climate of the time (which for a time were very closely related). However, because the author's stories and those of the character are so steeped in similar circumstances that one would be remiss not to believe that Huong has invested his soul in the character of Hang and projects his feelings about Vietnam through this character in what might otherwise have been a shameful way of expressing these controversial views. It is a country with a toxic political history marred by crimes against its people. The country itself was dismayed and suffered. The circumstances and cultural views truly make this a unique historical development, with echoes of similar injustices throughout time. Although Hang views the landscapes, people, and their quirks of Vietnam with childlike passion, she learns, through the actions of her brother and aunt, the flaws in the idealistic facade she wants her home to be. The setting serves as a contrast to the themes, at least in Hang's eyes, which is the pure and eternal, "The indestructible purity of a peaceful countryside." It was a world apart. It was a world apart, like a big lake. Even a storm could only ripple its surface” (75). This description is that of Vietnam, which Hang so desperately yearns to be a real country, untouched by external or internal wrongs. It is perhaps a disillusionment to the hopeful reader that even this great gift she holds close to her heart is slowly dissolving through the greedy and contradictory efforts of her uncle and aunt, "filtered through the rising sun, an exquisite green that would only exist once.” , in one place in the universe. I will never know why this beauty was so painful to me" (83), a story which should have had thesame endearing weight that the previous example overflowed with, but it is filled with a different emotion, of a dark kind, for we can deduce that the discontent with the Vietnamese leadership directly coincides with the sadness that Hang even feels in the most beautiful parts of his house. It is to this paradise of the blind that Hang seems to aspire, for the sweet happiness of ignorance that his nostalgic childhood brought him. The title of the novel is certainly unique and borders on the oxymoronic: how can a place be considered a paradise for those who cannot see? Some readers may say that one would have to be blind to sincerely call any place in this earthly realm a paradise. This is certainly true of the overall themes of the novel, as Hang struggles to accept his supposed ancestral duties that he is ordered to fulfill: "when you are mature, remember this and fulfill your duties" (74), the speaker here is that of Hang. aunt, a harsh woman whom she both reveres and despises, Hang feels this way because, regardless of her aunt's accomplishments in life, her obsession with her brother's memory, and her insistence on Hang for her to get the status her blood had in her eyes is everything Hang would come to hate as an adult. Hang's ancestry follows her like a shadow, but what does this have to do with a "paradise for the blind"? Well, the aftermath of the Vietnam War triggered radical social and political change due to the paranoia of the people who, for a time, decided to strip the landowning class, regardless of their economic status, of everything she owned; the nation was a communist state. Before realizing the error of their behavior, people had already experienced great suffering and the tarnishing of their dignity and any important pride, this is well characterized in the advice given to Hang by his mother: "To live with dignity, the important thing is never to despair. You give up once and everything falls apart. Ginger root is said to become stringy, but pungent with age. Misfortune shapes women, makes them altruistic, compassionate” (14). Hang's mother is not the only member of her family to suffer as her father has been taken away from her forever and her aunt becomes the counterexample to Hang's mother's words. The Hang family's closest connection to the whole situation is their own uncle, who perhaps characterizes the meaning of the title better than even the town blind man. Through his anger and contempt towards the upper classes, he, like so many others, loses sight of their objective, the reconstruction of the lives of their people. Although it may seem subjective, it was not long after that that the nation began a movement to right the wrongs, a way of admitting the reckless system that had been the previous movement. And so, because of man's folly, Hang suffers a weakened and dysfunctional family, crippled by the consequences of the nation's journey to heaven, its ardent belief that it could cause literal death and spirituality of so many of Hang's loved ones. keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay. However, this is not the only example of metaphorical blindness present in the book, the other is much more a cultural "problem" which is blocked and surely many of his peers see in the country the one who, in his eyes, him caused a level of suffering equal to that of the aforementioned case, but on a much more personal level. Hang's aunt is responsible for this turmoil as she so vehemently seeks to make Hang a woman worthy of her brother's lineage that she loses..