T. Stover (2001), a prominent academic in the field of young adult literature, states that, "Good young adult literature deals with the themes and issues that mirror the concerns of society out of which it is produced.” Graham Greene's novel, The Quiet American, complexly reflects upon the role of bystanders in society, who resort to apathy in difficult circumstances which do not affect them. Through the character of Fowler, the novel demonstrates that no one can remain uninvolved because his or
All Quiet on the Western Front: The Quiet Novel that Screamed a Message In Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front", the main character Paul Baumer who is 18 years old, is sent to the front to fight for his homeland, Germany. He and his friends go through a spectrum of typical war expiriences: the deaht of a comrad, the terror of shelling, the abuse by their officers, etc. Remarque as well as Paul hates everything about the war: its meaninglessness, the lives of young people that it destroys
Can’t Go Home Again – All Quiet on the Western Front During his leave, perhaps Baumer’s most striking realization of the vacuity of words in his former society occurs when he is alone in his old room in his parents’ house. After being unsuccessful in feeling a part of his old society by speaking with his mother and his father and his father’s friends, Baumer attempts to reaffiliate with his past by once again becoming a resident of the place. Here, among his mementos, the pictures and postcards
War, love, race, and the meaning of life all play huge roles in The Quiet American by Graham Greene and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. The depiction of Americans intertwined with the themes of war, love, race, and the meaning of life are quite similar, but at the same time very different. In Greene’s novel the depiction of Americans is seen through Alden Pyle who is young, inexperienced, naive, and careless. Alternatively Hemingway’s American character Robert Jordan is Pyle’s complete
The Quiet American is written by Graham Greene. This novel is about the conflict between Alden Pyle and Thomas Fowler. The novel’s events have already taken place and Fowler is the narrator of the story. Thomas Fowler, a man in his fifties, is a British journalist who has been covering the events taking place in the French War in Vietnam for over two years. He chooses to remain neutral between the sides of the battles he covers. He meets Alden Pyle, a young American who is well educated and secretly
Philip Noyce's adaptation of Graham Greene's novel The Quiet American to film was a large success. It stayed true to the script, and kept the basic essence of the characters; pulling them from the pages of the book and creating them visually into marvels on screen. The earlier film made on the book was made in 1958 by Joseph Mankiewicz. Fowler was played by Michael Redgrave, with Audie Murphy as Pyle. This version was forced to reverse Greene's political stand taken in the book however, meaning it
John Ford’s 1952 drama, The Quiet Man, is a classic American film about an American, Sean Thornton, who returns home to his roots in Ireland. Ford uses emotional scenes, film techniques, and an impactful ending to make this movie effective enough to be nominated for best picture. One of Ford’s brightest spots of this film is the involvement of the character Michael Film. He uses him as the comedic relief when many of the scenes get emotional. He is often shown being drunk or getting drunk in almost
Innocence, Ignorance, and Idealism In Graham Greene's The Quiet American, the themes of naivety and innocence are in constant and direct conflict with the reality and crudeness of the Vietnam War. Sometimes Greene sees innocent people as helpless victims of the devastation others wreak, like the soldiers who are killed when Fowler and Pyle shelter in their tower. More often though, he regards innocence as a kind of pre-moral condition. There are frequent references to the ignorance of the innocent
absorbed French influence established upon choice and freedom to individuals. France was preferential where as the U.S. Was pushed further away because the French recognized the democratic republic of Vietnam (DMV) as a free state. In the novel The Quiet American, by Graham Greene, Thomas Fowler, a British journalist, meets an American CIA agent named Alden Pyle who is always reading books by York Harding. Pyle's opinions are based on Harding’s beliefs that a Third Force, a country that interferes
Peace and Calm in Today Will Be A Quiet Day It seems that everyone thinks that all disaster has struck in Amy Hempel’s "Today Will Be A Quiet Day." I disagree. I think that everything might seem to be going bad, but when the day is over the children’s father realizes that everything is absolutely fine. The situations in the beginning of the story lead you to believe that the story will be depressing. But throughout the story I pick up little hints that this day was exactly what everybody needed:
A Family in Turmoil in Today Will Be A Quiet Day In Amy Hempel’s story, "Today Will Be A Quiet Day," a father takes the day off to spend time with his two children at a place called "Petaluma." The title suggests that this day was one of calmness and relaxation, but in reality the title should be " A Family in Turmoil." Throughout the trip, the children argue, complain, and bicker which seems to suggest that the day is rather depressing and quite humbling for the father (Baker 170). The father’s
Western Imperialism is exhibited throughout The Quiet American as Pyle takes advantage of Fowler and Phuong without realizing it. He uses them to help him get rid of communism in Vietnam. He also ultimately obtains economic gain not taking into consideration the destruction he is causing with the sole purpose of carrying out his personal and political agenda. Pyle’s and Fowler’s friendship takes a few different turns when Pyle makes decisions that may affect how Fowler and Phuong see him. Pyle is
A Happier Tomorrow in Today Will Be a Quiet Day In the story "Today Will Be a Quiet Day" written by Amy Hempel, one may be inclined to believe that there is a tone of depression or sadness among the father and the two children. This is shown in the opening sentence, while the three are stalled in traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The boy states, "I think if the quake hit now the bridge would collapse and the ramps would be left" (Hempel 1202). We also learn that the boy had a best friend who
happens to be about politics in his later period of his novelistic career. In The Quiet American, he formed a political imagination that is based on both America and American policies involving colonial prestige. This paper conveys an overall representation that he dislikes America because it is a symbol of all that has gone wrong due to materialism, Godlessness and neutrality. Like so many of Greene's novels, The Quiet American was inspired by his personal experience of a particular part of the world
The Uplifting Tale of Today Will Be a Quiet Day Some readers see death, but when I read the story "Today Will Be a Quiet Day" by Amy Hempel, I find it to be a light hearted, first-hand account of people coping with transition. Even its location in the table of contents under the heading "Childhood and Adolescent" (Barnet), implies that the story is not about death at all. A newly defined family, one man, a boy and a girl, is faced with the aftermath of divorce and explore among themselves the
The movie The Quiet Man directed by John Ford is a far cry from the Westerns his most noted for directing however for John The Quiet Man “was the most personal film he ever made (it was also one of his favorites” (Berardinelli). In The Quiet Man John Ford brings together one of his most favorite Western actors, John Wayne, who is undeniably the central character, and the ever stunning Maureen O’Hara to brings to life a warmhearted, down-to-earth romantic comedy. He created a movie that is primarily
In Graham Greene’s novel The Quiet American, his main focused-upon character is named Alden Pyle, an American who has become an ally to the malicious and violent General The. Pyle imports the explosives into Vietnam that General The uses under his rule to shift blame toward the communists through bombings that both kills and harms many Vietnamese citizens. Greene’s theme is to elaborate on the paradoxical dangers that Pyle expresses through innocence, idealism and ignorance. Howard Zinn and James
Community and the Individual in John Ford's The Quiet Man John Ford's The Quiet Man is a romantic comedy that demonstrates Ford's world-view by way of symbolic visual devices as well as in the basic plot: the outsider being indoctrinated into a community through the gradual understanding of rituals and rites of passage, as well as the little nuances of everyday life. John Ford, a filmmaker with a strong Irish ancestry and pride in his roots, directed this film about the return of a retired boxer
Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel that takes you through the life of a soldier in World War I. Remarque is accurately able to portray the episodes soldiers go through. All Quiet on the Western Front shows the change in attitudes of the men before and during the war. This novel is able to show the great change war has evolved to be. From lining your men up and charging in the eighteenth century, to digging and “living” in the trenches with rapid-fire machine guns, bombs
All Quiet on the Western Front Literary Analysis The U.S. casualties in the "Iraqi Freedom" conquest totals so far at about Sixteen Thousand military soldiers. During WWI Germany suffered over seven million. All Quiet on the Western Front is a historical novel written by Erich Maria Remarque. The novel focuses on a young German soldier and the predicaments he encounters in during his life on the front. The novel displays a powerful image to all of its readers and tends to have a long lasting