Just a short time after the time period in which the Quiet American takes place the United States becomes involved in Vietnam conflict, leading to the Vietnam War. Many saw this war as a chance for the United States to save Vietnam, ultimately the United States would go into the war with pure intentions. Many found after the war that those intentions were no longer there, and our country had caused more destruction by becoming involved. It took many Americans till after the damage had been done to notice the truth behind what the Vietnam War turned out to be. The Quiet American novel and film, although may be seen as a movie on the Indochina war, turns out to be a comment on US policy when entering the Vietnam War. Pyle represents the young,
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In the tower scene, as Pyle argues with Fowler, there is a shot solely of Pyle. By focusing only on Pyle rather than Fowler’s reaction, this brings our attention to what Pyle was saying. Here Pyle responds to Fowlers question of what he plans to do about the problems in Vietnam. Pyle discusses the newness of America and how the world is looking to his country for answers. By discussing his argument in this way, he is not digging himself into a hole in the argument. He strays away from proposing that he knows the answers, which in a way shows that he is mature. Pyle’s body language is extremely open in this scene showing that Pyle is not defensive but rather he is open to the questions Fowler is asking him. He provides a quick, witty response, which shows that he is well educated without showing the same reliance on York Harding’s works that the novel …show more content…
This portrays Fowler in a positive light giving more importance to Fowler’s argument, ultimately the opposing viewpoint. Before Fowler had Pyle killed, Fowler invited Pyle over before he made his final decision. In the midst of an argument, Fowler gets to the point where he says, “’How many people have to die before you realize…?’ But I could tell it was a hopeless argument”(168). By using the word “hopeless”, Fowler is showing that he truly believes that Pyle will never change and people will continue to die. These phrases make us more inclined to see the heroic intentions behind Fowler’s decision to kill Pyle, which make Fowler a more likeable character. In the novel, Fowlers actions are most likely already justified in the reader’s eyes but Greene builds on Fowlers character even more towards the end. Although Fowler knows he did the right thing by killing Pyle, Fowler still feels remorse for what he did to his friend. Fowler even goes on to say, “Everything had gone right with me since he had died, but how I wished there existed someone to whom I could say that I was sorry”. The fact that Fowler feels remorse for Pyle’s delath shows
In the tower scene, as Pyle argues with Fowler, there is a shot solely of Pyle. By focusing only on Pyle rather than Fowler’s reaction, this brings our attention to what Pyle was saying. Here Pyle responds to Fowlers question of what he plans to do about the problems in Vietnam. Pyle discusses the newness of America and how the world is looking to his country for answers. By discussing his argument in this way, he is not digging himself into a hole in the argument. He strays away from proposing that he knows the answers, which in a way shows that he is mature. Pyle’s body language is extremely open in this scene showing that Pyle is not defensive but rather he is open to the questions Fowler is asking him. He provides a quick, witty response, which shows that he is well educated without showing the same reliance on York Harding’s works that the novel …show more content…
This portrays Fowler in a positive light giving more importance to Fowler’s argument, ultimately the opposing viewpoint. Before Fowler had Pyle killed, Fowler invited Pyle over before he made his final decision. In the midst of an argument, Fowler gets to the point where he says, “’How many people have to die before you realize…?’ But I could tell it was a hopeless argument”(168). By using the word “hopeless”, Fowler is showing that he truly believes that Pyle will never change and people will continue to die. These phrases make us more inclined to see the heroic intentions behind Fowler’s decision to kill Pyle, which make Fowler a more likeable character. In the novel, Fowlers actions are most likely already justified in the reader’s eyes but Greene builds on Fowlers character even more towards the end. Although Fowler knows he did the right thing by killing Pyle, Fowler still feels remorse for what he did to his friend. Fowler even goes on to say, “Everything had gone right with me since he had died, but how I wished there existed someone to whom I could say that I was sorry”. The fact that Fowler feels remorse for Pyle’s delath shows