Andrew Pham’s memoir Catfish and Mandala details his bicycle journey from the Bay Area to his hometown in Vietnam in search of a new purpose. Crafting a full picture of his life, An Pham weaves together flashes of the grueling two-wheeled journey, defining moments from his upbringing, and his parents’ history to illustrate their immigrant experience. Constantly referencing his sibling’s suicide, An examines his behavior before and after the tragedy to expose his deepest regrets and the worst parts of his family’s inherent silence. Exploring the comparison of their Vietnamese cultural norms and their integration into the United States, Pham’s rendition of his life reveals the efforts his family went to “Save Face” as they destroyed themselves
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All the Pham children are punished for disrupting the family image, yet there is no consideration of how potential child abuse could affect that same image. Anh Pham admitted that the Vietnamese beat their children “to let them know they are important” (320). The direct contrast between the Vietnamese and American view on beating children as a form of discipline comes to light and further reveals the importance of respecting one’s elders that does not exist as strongly in the United States. Through this storyline, I learned more about the hereditary pattern of child beating in Vietnam. As an American, the intense scenes of child abuse evoke immediate condemnation, whereas in the Pham’s home country it is a typical family activity, regardless of the brutality. The culture of silence serves as both a blessing and a curse for Pham. After a chance encounter with a young Vietnamese girl that reminded him of his sibling, Chi. An is moved to tears, a public display of emotion that is heavily looked down upon. Instead of critiquing An, his relatives “gave [him] face when [he] deserved none” …show more content…
Pham’s immediate acceptance of Minh’s return without acknowledging their time apart concedes the family’s ill attempts to save face in the reversal of their biggest loss yet the disappointment lingers, nonetheless. The confrontation of Minh instead of Chi jointly forward hurt and hope, but An asserts that their ignorance of his past leads to their eventual loss of life. Admitting his biggest regret is failing to “make sense of those missing years,” An’s bicycle venture sees him take full accountability for his role in Minh’s suicide (297). A powerful declaration that by saying nothing, the Pham’s caused Minh’s return to be even lonelier than Chi’s original runaway. The focus on saving face and preserving their family unit against irregularities like Chi-Minh caused the Pham’s to lose their first-born child forever, erecting irreparable damage. At every turn of his eight-thousand-mile two-wheeled adventure, An is reminded of his sibling and forced to confront his role in their
All the Pham children are punished for disrupting the family image, yet there is no consideration of how potential child abuse could affect that same image. Anh Pham admitted that the Vietnamese beat their children “to let them know they are important” (320). The direct contrast between the Vietnamese and American view on beating children as a form of discipline comes to light and further reveals the importance of respecting one’s elders that does not exist as strongly in the United States. Through this storyline, I learned more about the hereditary pattern of child beating in Vietnam. As an American, the intense scenes of child abuse evoke immediate condemnation, whereas in the Pham’s home country it is a typical family activity, regardless of the brutality. The culture of silence serves as both a blessing and a curse for Pham. After a chance encounter with a young Vietnamese girl that reminded him of his sibling, Chi. An is moved to tears, a public display of emotion that is heavily looked down upon. Instead of critiquing An, his relatives “gave [him] face when [he] deserved none” …show more content…
Pham’s immediate acceptance of Minh’s return without acknowledging their time apart concedes the family’s ill attempts to save face in the reversal of their biggest loss yet the disappointment lingers, nonetheless. The confrontation of Minh instead of Chi jointly forward hurt and hope, but An asserts that their ignorance of his past leads to their eventual loss of life. Admitting his biggest regret is failing to “make sense of those missing years,” An’s bicycle venture sees him take full accountability for his role in Minh’s suicide (297). A powerful declaration that by saying nothing, the Pham’s caused Minh’s return to be even lonelier than Chi’s original runaway. The focus on saving face and preserving their family unit against irregularities like Chi-Minh caused the Pham’s to lose their first-born child forever, erecting irreparable damage. At every turn of his eight-thousand-mile two-wheeled adventure, An is reminded of his sibling and forced to confront his role in their