🌹The Rose & Skull ☠️

Response 2B

Topics: In her introduction (page vii), Zadie Smith suggests that Phuong floats "free of her symbolic weights." Is this so? ❧ Is Phuong a complex character or a stereotype, or both? ❧ Compare the novel and the film in terms of the relation between Phuong and Fowler.

Novel & Film

In the movie, the Quiet American, Fowler, and Phuong’s relationship are more loving from both ends. However, in the book, Fowler seems to care about her a lot more because we get to read about his thoughts. Although Phuong seemed to be really into Pyle during their initial meeting, she still seemed more physically affectionate towards Fowler. Phuong seems like a more sensitive and quieter girl in the book. 

Throughout the novel, and recent (2002) film The Quiet American, Phuong; a young Vietnamese woman and Fowler’s mistress is represented as a stereotype. It is evident that throughout the novel and film she displays characteristics of a stereotypical character due to her dependence on stability and protection from a man-- in this case, Fowler. She enjoys spending her days watching movies at the cinema and shopping while hoping to find a reliable man to marry. The language barrier, due to her lack of English and limited French competency results is her inadequacy when forming real connections for someone solely based on attraction but rather for her stability and security. 

Phuong

Phuong floats "free of her symbolic weights” in the story through Fowler’s observations of her life outside their relationship (socializing with friends at the milk bar, and visiting her sister), and through his acknowledgment of his own limitation in understanding her. While explaining Phuong to Pyle, he admits to himself, “I was inventing a character just as much as Pyle was” (124) and then recalls previously trying “passionately to understand her”, but ultimately concludes that “[o]ne never knows another human being”. It's through Phuong's elusiveness to Fowler, and thus to the reader, that Greene indicates Phuong's complexity and humanity. (99)

Smith suggests that Greene only wrote what he could imagine of Phuong’s life, and thus his omission allows Phuong to float “free of her symbolic weights.” However, this idea is at odds with one of the few things we do know about Phuong: she is pressured by her sister to marry a foreign man. The reader can’t truly be sure that Phuong wholeheartedly wants to marry either Fowler or Pyle. The foreign men’s inability to understand Phuong doesn’t lead to freedom of any weights. In fact, it is part of an obligation that is bound to weigh her down. (99 words)

Phuong is portrayed through out the novel The Quiet American as a stereotype, with this mainly being pushed onto her by Pyle. He believes he is worthy of her over Fowler strictly due to the fact that he is better off financially, can marry her and there for provide her children, “ she can’t be [happy] — not in her situation. She needs children,”. However, even though she is often seen as this stereotype Fowler sees her as something more, as a capable woman, someone who can take care of herself and only needs to be taken care of due to his own want to do so, “I don’t. She doesn’t need protection. I want her around, I want her in my bed,” yet while he does not portray her as the weak gold digging stereotype she is still seen in his eyes as the sort of sexual fantasy so often given to Asian women.

Phuong does not have a lot of influence in the “love triangle,” but is certainly a complex character who is looking for a man that will give her stability and comfort. As she is heavily manipulated by her sister, Phuong has become simple minded and easily persuaded. Phuong shows very little emotion and only chooses Pyle since he can give her a sense of security through marriage, rather than a live-in mistress.  As she shuffles through magazines looking at pictures of London and New York while gossiping about royalty, Phuong’s inner voice is driven by desire. (96 words)

I would say Phuong is a complex character, she comes across very vain and shallow at times, yet genuine other times. Phuong at times appears to be very independent as she loves to go out shopping, for food, to the cinema, and of course paging through picture books and gossip rags about British royalty. On the other hand, she is Fowlers live in mistress, whom he depends on for financial security, then Phuong shifts her affections towards Pyle because he can offer greater security through marriage. This is where I believe Phuong to be a complex character, she appears to be independent at times, but then seeks attention from Fowler and Pyle as she desperately needs to feel secure.

Phuong is a more stereotypical type of character as she consistently migrates to the person who can give her the most promising future as she never truly develops any complex feelings for anyone else. Her only objective is to get out of Vietnam and is the stereotypical mistress who will use each guy to get what she wants. Her motives are clear and simple as she doesnt want to marry out of love but instead for security reasons. (78 words)

Phuong portrays the stereotype of a young materialistic girl looking for financial stability. She is in some sense of the words a “gold digger”.  Phuong wants for a better, more comfortable life away from Vietnam. When she learned it would never be possible for her and Fowler to wed, she changed course and accepted Pyle’s proposal, not out of love for Pyle but for the want of a more suitable life.(75)

I think Zadie Smith assumes right that Phuong floats free of her symbolic weights. Throughout the novel she continues to break the boundaries that she is supposed to be within as a symbol of Vietnam as intended by Greene. Even in the midst of the love triangle that Fowler, Pyle, and Phuong are caught in, Phuong remains unbounded to act as an individual that isn’t constrained to providing an appropriate representation of the country, but rather as an individual and human being who contradicts their literary purposes. This is a broader display of freedom that Greene is able to portray through Phuong and reveals a deeper purpose behind her character.

Phuong's character fits the stereotype of a beautiful young woman that takes the opportunity of a life that is secured by a relatively older man that can provide her security financially and secure her citizenship abroad. Though there is some depth to her character; her likes and dislikes and how she feels truly about fowler and pyle, but overall, Phuongs character is a stereotype.

Phuong's character in the quiet american is more so a stereotypical character rather than the complex one, while she does have some interesting attributes, like the simpleness of her character due to her being manipulated by her sister, her character revolves around wanting to be taken care of like a housewife, which was common at the time, and not actually being attracted to people, just their money. Her limited experience in french and english also make it hard for her to express herself like the other characters can because those are the languages present in the novel.

In the Quiet American, the reader never truly learns of Phuong firsthand, she is most often described second hand thorough both Fowler and Pyle, giving her no real voice of her own. Phuong could be seen more are an archetype rather than a stereotype, as Greene uses her to symbolize the common Vietnamese populace entangled in foreign interests. Even voiceless, she can be proven to be the most complex character in the novel proving to the reader that she is loyal to herself and she would continue to stay unchanged as a person, no matter what man she’s with. 

The continuous love triangle in The Quiet American provides a look into society’s past. In the past, most people believed that men were more superior than women and should be in charge of everything as they provide for others. The love triangle labelled 1900s is an inverted triangle that shows Phuong at the bottom & both men at the top, as men were seen superior to women. The love triangle labelled 2020s is a rightside up triangle that puts Phuong at the top & the men below, as women now in society are becoming less dependent and can hold their own. (99 words)

In "The Quiet American", Phuong floats and seems that she does not have her own mind played in the story because of 3 reasons. First, the story is played from Fowler's perspective, so insight of Phuong is revealed unclearly. Second, Phuong is a very quiet character who does not show her insight very much, so she is a very mysterious woman. Third, Phuong's sister Miss Hei is giving a huge influence to Phuong, so Phuong' decisions she made are not proving any thought belongs to Phuong.

Phuong is an interesting character, but is she a typical stereotype of a Vietnamese mistress, or a more complex, layered character than she first appears to be?  Well, as we follow the story of this love triangle between the Englishman, the American, and this “Phoenix” to its bitter end, we can see that there may be more depth to her character (that of the long-suffering stereotypical mistress).  This is most prevalent in an early scene when Fowler mentions that Phuong used to work as a taxi dancer, (the thought being that since she used to work as a taxi dancer, she is as “easy” as …. the girls who do their “work” in the building next door). Ironically, it is about six months until they go on an actual date, disproving an “easy” working girl stereotype.  Phuong’s feathers may be swathed in translucence and her character might not be as one dimensional as first perceived.

In The Quiet American, Phuong is a stereotype. Most of her character traits align with the stereotype of southeast Asian women from the 1950s. Phuong is very dependent on all the other characters for her own survival: she uses her beauty to gain financial and physical security from a veteran journalist, and has her older sister make most of her decisions for her. Phuong’s main goal in life is to get married so that she doesn’t end up working in a brothel. She is very motivated; however, her character is not fully explored outside of her relationships with Fowler and Pyle. (100 words)

Phuong is many things in "The Quiet American": a lover, a dancer, and a representation. Initially, Phuong seems to be simple stereotype, but that is only the surface. This simplicity of Phuong can be misunderstood as stereotype but in truth Phuong is an ideological metaphor of the people of Vietnam. Vietnam is beautiful with a difficult past and is forced to follow the most financially viable path for its future, even if it means loss. Like Vietnam, Phuong too is beautiful with a hard past and despite her love, must make the best choice for her future.

Phuong is far more complex than is evident, due to her lack of English, limited French, and the “western” perspective.  Her sister controls Phuong when it comes to potential suitors, but it is Phuong who plays the game.  She may be perceived as socially submissive and not “coquettishly” acquiescent (particularly sexually), but she is far from simple. Phuong’s interest in “scarves”, trips to the “milk bar” and being subservient to her man, may be stereotypical female behavior.  Her exotic sexual beauty is a commodity to be traded for security, it is not about the western ideal of “love”. (98)

Phuong deliberately chooses two westerners as her potential husbands in hope of escaping the chaotic situation in her country with her final choice, therefore Phuong utilizes their feelings for her without being too emotionally involved with either of them. Fowler’s inability to give Phuong a proper status and security causes Phuong to choose Pyle, however Phuong chooses Fowler again after Pyle dies, which shows that Phuong puts her needs first instead of love. Phuong’s lack of attachment for both men, and her unemotional response and unhesitant choice after Pyle’s demise reveal the complexity of Phuong’s character rather than a stereotype. 

Phuong is a mystery. She is a survivor in a country disrupted by war, a pragmatic woman, and a fusion of stereotypes and complexity. Her expectations from Fowler and Pyle are established on the stereotypes of marriage and financial security. These facilitate her decision of first leaving Fowler for Pyle and just as pragmatically returning to Fowler when Pyle is dead. Furthermore, her complexity is driven by the fact that the readers have no direct access to the passage of her thoughts, desires, and emotions. Phuong’s character is confined by Fowler’s perspective of hers.

Phuong is shown throughout The Quiet American to be a shallow, vain and complex character. Throughout the Quiet American she seems to be a confusing character but yet simple at the same time. Phuong was once involved with Fowler, but eventually shuffles her attention to Pyle because he can offer her protection and security through marriage when Fowler can’t. Phuong makes most of her decisions based off of what her manipulative sister tells her what to do and although Phuong is uncapable of expressing complex feelings, overall she is a complex character based off of all her decisions throughout.

Phuong is not a stereotype but a physical representation of the voices of the people who live in Vietnam as well as representing women in Vietnam as independent thinkers, allowing for a perspective that we don’t see. Even though she is seen as a character that exists as a lover towards Fowler and Pyle, behind all of that, she is a character that is one of the most resilient throughout the whole book, unfazed by the men in her life and always keeps herself as a priority, a contrast to the stereotypical colonial thought process.

I believe that Phuong is a complex character who was not talked about fully in depth, however her character as a love interest is stereotypical. Phuong’s role was very stereotypical in a novel because she is shown in the novel and the movie as a love interest who is a broken young woman that gets caught up in a love triangle. Although, she is complex because I believe that there is a lot in her past, having to do with her father and how she became who she is in the novel, but was not expanded on.

Phuong is both a complex and stereotyped character. Phuong has a lot of personality and unique traits that make her complex and individual. Phuong is at the end of the day staying in charge of her decisions and what she does. At the same time however Phuong shows subtleties that are stereotypes we have in western cultures. To me this is most evident in Phuongs waiting on the men in her life. Not only is she making sure they have opium prepared for them but even her act of waiting at home not knowing about them.

The character of Phuong in Greene’s ‘The Quiet American’ is both complex and stereotypical. On the surface, she represents the exotic woman of the orient, ignorant of the world outside Vietnam. Fowler sums up this stereotype when he states, “they love you in return for kindness, security, the presents you give them.” Phuong’s complexity emerges as she epitomizes the country of Vietnam, in a war between three nations. Fowler is her aged guard, intoxicated with opium, materializing her comfort, and holding on to decaying colonialism. Pyle fancies himself her savior, stealing her is for her own good, and regardless of repercussions, teaching her the American way.

Phuong is both a stereotype and complex character. She can be rather vain and shallow as Miss Hei influences all of her decisions, she also is attracted to Fowler because he offers her financial security and protection, which is seemingly a simple-minded woman. On the other hand, having been given almost no voice of her own, she is defined by her lovers, yet it is Phuong who has proven to be the most individual and resilient. Her strength, found in the conviction and loyalty to herself, allows her to remain unchanged, regardless of the man who she is currently with. (100 words)

The existence of Phuong serves a clear purpose of contrasting war and love. Fowler's ideals regarding war are paralleled with his love for Phuong. Fowler carries the same beliefs when it comes to both subjects. He dissociates himself in order to relieve responsibility. Phuongs character is not necessarily complex, however she contains a sense of unique appeal in order to validate Fowler’s specialized attention towards her. Her character in itself is quite stagnant but nonetheless essential as the contrast between love and war and fowlers inability to separate himself from that in which he knows is wrong.

Young and beautiful, Phuong, remains uncomplaining and always available for those around herself. Available sexually but undemanding, Phuong, hardly reacts to which one she should choose. Simple minded and childish, Phuong, goes with the one that has the best financial stability than the one she truly loves. Through thick layers of stereotypes, Phuong finds herself going for the one with the most money and income to have the easiest life she can have.

Phuong is both a complex character and a stereotype. Phuong fits the stereotype because she plays into the perception of what the outside countries see Vietnam as ( a feminized place). Her sister even says, "she needs care" and that "she is delicate" which describes her as a beauty who is gentle and has no opinions of her own. Yet Phuong is also complex as well because we are viewing this story from a male perspective during the old times. Phuong may have had her own voice yet due to the male dominance she had to suppressed it until she escaped her current situation.

As a character, Phuong's intricate feeling and indecisive actions in her relationship illustrates her complexity and stereotype. Phuong and her sister have a stereotype that a first-world citizen can provide them with protection and financial aid better than Vietnamese men, especially during the Vietnam War. Her open relationship with Fowler, a married British man, is getting more complicated when Pyle, an American man, shows his infatuations to Phuong, while Fowler can never marry Phuong.  Phuong also wore and acted differently, she acts as a traditional Vietnamese while she was with Fowler, but not with Pyle, where she acts like an American.

🌹☠️

Back to Top

Undergrad English Contents