Paradise Of The Blind Que Character Analysis

In Duong Thu Huong’s Paradise of the Blind, the lives of the female characters are heavily dictated by the actions of the men. Their loyalties towards those men determine pivotal moments in their lives, despite the men only being symbols of ideologies of the culture of that time. Hang and Tam adhere to the male-dominated culture, yet they show attitudes of defiance and seek independence, as the story progresses; however, it is Que who constantly tows the line between defiance and obedience to opposing forces, which drastically affects the lives of Hang and Tam. Although Que is a dynamic, complex character, her willingness to, repeatedly, aide a static male antagonist is an unfortunate representation of the female role in a male-dominated, war-stricken Vietnam.
Que’s brother Chinh, who hold a prominent position in the Communist regime, …show more content…
Hang was conceived during this visit, and shortly after, Ton commits suicide because his second wife refuses him and doesn’t allow him to see their children. Even after ten years, Que isn’t devastated by her husband’s betrayal; she, instead, seems to accept it as. Conversely, she was lost without him and his stability, and she couldn’t seem to regain it back throughout the story. She starves herself and Hang in order to get diabetes medicine for Chinh and strains her relationship with Tam because Tam refused to help Chinh in anyway. Hang gets caught in the crossfires, and after an argument, Que kicks Hang out. Although they later reconcile, Que’s inability to break away from Chinh’s control forces her to live in adversity all her life and ruins all of the meaningful relationships in her life. Chinh never apologizes for the treatment of his sister and niece, but based on the type of character that Que is, she would’ve have expected him