Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy both planned to train Southern Vietnamese military forces to fight the war rather than have the United States forces battle for them (Vietnam War). Driven by their American exceptionalist beliefs and the idea that it was their civic duty to help the Southern Vietnamese government battle, the American forces were able to become involved in the Vietnam War. The Quiet American by Graham Greene provides fictional examples of American exceptionalism and the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. Set in 1950s Vietnam, this novel addresses the war in its early stages. The character of Alden Pyle appears as a symbol for the American government and military forces in Vietnam at that time as he preaches his solutions to halt the spread of communism. However, the novel challenges American aptness as Pyle is constantly contradicted with the idea that himself (and the United States) are inappropriately involved due to their lack of knowledge of the conflict at
Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy both planned to train Southern Vietnamese military forces to fight the war rather than have the United States forces battle for them (Vietnam War). Driven by their American exceptionalist beliefs and the idea that it was their civic duty to help the Southern Vietnamese government battle, the American forces were able to become involved in the Vietnam War. The Quiet American by Graham Greene provides fictional examples of American exceptionalism and the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. Set in 1950s Vietnam, this novel addresses the war in its early stages. The character of Alden Pyle appears as a symbol for the American government and military forces in Vietnam at that time as he preaches his solutions to halt the spread of communism. However, the novel challenges American aptness as Pyle is constantly contradicted with the idea that himself (and the United States) are inappropriately involved due to their lack of knowledge of the conflict at