The Quiet American

474 Words1 Page

Fowler constructs Pyle as a naïve young man who is an innocent victim of dogmatic and simplistic ideologies. Fowler sees American culture and Democracy as a corrupting influence on an innocent Pyle. This is exhibited th relational processes, where Pyle, as the carrier, is given attributes such as “innocent”, “young and ignorant and silly”. This innocence is highlight by contrasting it with the attribute of “the whole pack of them”, Fowlers serotypes of Americans.

Pyle’s corruption is seen in the single instance of his operating as a goal, where “they” are processed as having “killed” him. This construction of Pyle as corrupted by his environment is further solidified in Pyle’s role in material processes. The conceptual goal, which Pyle is acting upon “the east”, is processed in service o...

Open Document