The novel Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Houng is a work that represents post-war Vietnam quite well, with the author holding nothing back in terms of virtues and disorders of the nation of origin. Its unbridled frankness is such that the work was long ago banned in its country of origin, yet this seemed largely necessary to the author as the clear intent of the novel revolves around exploiting the glaring issues with the imperialist regime of era and the profound effect this had. on its citizens. Perhaps the best way the author sees the problems with her country can be summed up in the different meaning of the novel's bold title, which gives a biting response to her nation's misguided leadership before she even begins the novel. This is truly a story reminiscent of the country in question, the setting evoking the aura of the cultural and natural landscapes, its variety of peoples and inconsistent war-torn leaderships after years of conflict. Through the use of these unique characteristics the author is able to convey his dissatisfaction with the system that has so completely caused the suffering of the general population and shackled them with mere illusions of confinement and legitimate duties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayTruly, Huong has an insatiable respect for his homeland evident in personal and nostalgic passages such as "The sounds of the evening fill the air: the rice is rinsed... women tapping their laundry on the stones at the edge of the swimming pool, children screaming and fighting” (75), the novel as a whole characterizes the difficulties that prevent the enjoyment of the beloved homeland. Of course this is not her story, but rather a young Hang and her life experiences,. characterized by the most significant moments but the political and social climate of the time (which for a time were closely intertwined. However because the author's stories and those of the character are so permeated in similar circumstances that it would be remiss not to believe that Huong has poured). his soul into the character of Hang by projecting his feelings of Vietnam through this character in what would otherwise have been a shameful way of expressing those controversial opinions. This is a country with a toxic political history marked by crimes against its people, the country itself was dismayed and suffered because of it, truly the circumstances and cultural views make this historical evolution one of a kind with echoes of similar injustices in the course of time. Although Hang views the landscapes, people of Vietnam, and their peculiarities with a childlike passion, he learns through the acts of his brother and his aunt the flaws in the idealistic façade that he would like his home to be. The setting serves as a contrast to the themes, at least in Hang's eyes, that is, the pure and eternal, “ The indestructible purity of a countryside at peace. This was a world apart. This was a world apart, like a large lake. Even a storm could only ripple its surface” (75). This description is the Vietnam that Hang so desperately aspires to be a real Vietnam, untouched by external or internal wrongs. Perhaps it is a disillusionment to the hopeful reader that even this great gift he holds close to his heart is slowly dissolved through the anxious and conflicting efforts of his uncle and aunt, "filtered through the rising sun, an exquisite green that would only exist once." . , in one place in the universe. I will never know why this beauty was so painful to me" (83) a story that should have had the same tender weight that the example overflowed withprecedent, yet it is filled with a different emotion, a dark kind, because one can infer that the dissatisfaction with Vietnam's leadership directly coincides with the sadness Hang feels for even the most beautiful parts of his home. It is in this paradise of the blind that Hang would seem to long for the sweet bliss of ignorance that her nostalgic childhood gave her. The title of the novel is certainly unique and borders on the oxymoron: how can a place be considered a paradise for those who cannot see? Some readers may say that you would have to be blind to sincerely call any place on this earthly kingdom heaven. This is certainly true of the novel's overall themes as Hang struggles to come to terms with her supposed ancestral duties that she is commanded to perform, "when you mature, remember this and fulfill your duties" (74), the speaker here is Hang's aunt, a tough woman who both reveres and despises, Hang feels this way because, regardless of her aunt's accomplishments in life, her obsession with the memory of her brother and her insistence that Hang achieves the status that his blood had in his eyes is everything Hang would have hated in adulthood. Hang's ancestors follow her like a shadow, but how does this relate to the “paradise of the blind”? Well, the consequences of the Vietnamese war triggered a radical social and political change due to the paranoia of the people who for a certain period decided to strip the landowning class, regardless of their economic status, of everything they owned; the nation was a communist state. Before realizing their mistakes, the people had already experienced great suffering and the tarnishing of their dignity and any important pride, this is well characterized in the advice given to Hang by his mother: “To live with dignity, the important is never to despair. You give up once and everything gives in. They say that ginger root becomes fibrous, but pungent with age. Unhappiness shapes the woman, makes her altruistic, compassionate” (14). Hang's mother is not the only member of her family who has suffered because her father was taken away from her forever, and her aunt becomes the counterexample to Hang's mother's words. The closest connection the Hang family has to the whole situation is his uncle, who might characterize the meaning of the title better than even the town blind man. Because of his anger and contempt for the upper classes, he like many others loses sight of his goal, the reconstruction of the lives of his people. While this may seem subjective, it wasn't long afterward that the nation began a movement to right the wrongs, their way of admitting the reckless system that had been the previous movement. And so, due to the madness of man, Hang suffers a weakened and dysfunctional family, crippled by the consequences of the nation's journey to heaven, their ardent belief that they can cause the literal and spiritual death of so many of Hang. in mind: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay. However this is not the only example of metaphorical blindness present in the book, the other is much more of a cultural "problem" that Hang and certainly many of her peers see in the country as something that in her eyes has caused her a level of suffering equal to that of the aforementioned case, but on a much more personal level. Hang's aunt is responsible for this turmoil as she tries so vehemently to mold Hang into a woman worthy of her brother's bloodline that she loses sight of the pure, unbridled spirit she aspires to be. It is evident that this fact is not lost on Hang, rather,.