Both Graham Greene’s book, The Quiet American and Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s movie adaptation of “the Quiet American” have the three same main characters, as well as the general storyline. Fowler and Phuong are happily together, but then The American, Pyle, arrives in Vietnam and pursues Phuong for her hand in marriage. While the characters and their dramatic love triangle remains the same, there are discrepancies between the actions and personalities of the characters, especially The American. By changing the way, The American behaves, the writers of the text change the way we view America and its people.
While reading the novel we get the sense that The American is unaware of the reality going on around him and is also a timid, somewhat plain young man. In one of the early chapters of the novel Fowler, The American, and Phuong are at the Chalet. Fowler hears The American ask Phuong to dance and shortly after he sees “them dancing in silence at the other end of the room, The American holding her so far away from him that you expected him at any moment to sever contact” (32). The way he holds Phuong while dancing with her exemplifies how unsure of himself The American is. …show more content…
Throughout both the book and movie they allude to The American being involved with bombing harming innocent people. Where the stories differ are in scenes that take place in the later portion of the book and movie such as the bombing scene, as exemplified in the above paragraph. In the book Dominguez and Mr. Heng tell Fowler about The American’s involvement with bombs and they are correct, but in the movie they trick Fowler into believing The American is involved when in reality he is not. The American is simply in Vietnam to provide the children with toys and help those in need. This portrays the American as a martyr, while Fowler again is appears to be an inferior
While reading the novel we get the sense that The American is unaware of the reality going on around him and is also a timid, somewhat plain young man. In one of the early chapters of the novel Fowler, The American, and Phuong are at the Chalet. Fowler hears The American ask Phuong to dance and shortly after he sees “them dancing in silence at the other end of the room, The American holding her so far away from him that you expected him at any moment to sever contact” (32). The way he holds Phuong while dancing with her exemplifies how unsure of himself The American is. …show more content…
Throughout both the book and movie they allude to The American being involved with bombing harming innocent people. Where the stories differ are in scenes that take place in the later portion of the book and movie such as the bombing scene, as exemplified in the above paragraph. In the book Dominguez and Mr. Heng tell Fowler about The American’s involvement with bombs and they are correct, but in the movie they trick Fowler into believing The American is involved when in reality he is not. The American is simply in Vietnam to provide the children with toys and help those in need. This portrays the American as a martyr, while Fowler again is appears to be an inferior