Character Analysis: The Unwanted By Kien

The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen, a book that can call to mind many different types of feelings through the situations that Kien Nguyen faces in his childhood life. In The unwanted the theme of courage can be seen through the characters of both Loan and Kien himself. Both characters are able to stand up during the difficult times in the book to either help or protect others around them. At times in The Unwanted, if Loan or Kein didn't act the way they did, the story would have ended very differently. In The Unwanted, Kien can be seen as the most courageous character in the book. Throughout the whole book, the decisions that Kien makes are big and important ones. He is given huge responsibilities at a very young age and the fact he accepted them shows that he has strength and courage within him. Kein took on many roles in his childhood life, such as being a friend, a leader, and an older brother. In the …show more content…
After the fall of Saigon, Kien and his family had gotten stuck in Saigon while trying to flee the country. Only to find that the city had become a dangerous and chaotic place, Kien and his family stayed in the basement of the two-story dwelling. While they stayed inside Loan would go out into the dangerous streets. Kein says “only Loan dared to go outside to search for food, gather news and run errands for my mother” (43). To risk her life for Kien’s family and facing the dangers, can be seen as is an act of courage. If Loan wasn’t there, it would have been much harder for the Kien’s family. Another scene where Loan demonstrates an act of courage was when she says her goodbye to Lam. Laon says “if you wrong her, I will make certain that you’ll pay for it when I come back and that is my solemn promise” (106). Here was the first time where Loan actually stands up to Lam. “Don’t interpret it as an empty threat” (106). Loan showed her acts of courage through her kindness in thinking about others before