The Sorrow of War (pg160) The symbol of Phuong

Phuong’s youth and innocence represents the youth and innocence of Vietnam before war broke out. By looking at the effects war impacted on Phuong, we are able to understand what war has done to Vietnam as a whole. We are able to understand how war has forever scarred Vietnam by impacting many generations of its people. We see this through how war has forcefully taken the joyous youth Phuong was entitled to as a teenager. War forces her to grow up quickly in order to deal with the dangerous situation, she is raped and forced to lead a harsh life due to the war. Just like how invasions forced Vietnam to quickly grow up and fight to protect themselves, this meant that Vietnam had no choice but to give up what they had. Phuong’s post war sufferings also represent Vietnam’s suffering even though they won the war. Although the war is over, a spiritual suffering still haunts Phuong, her and Kien try and regain the passionate love they had prior to war as a way to regain the happy pre war lives they lived, however that passion is long gone due to the harsh spiritual damages the war has had on both of them. This represents what war has done to the Vietnamese, it represents that people come back from war trying to lead the life they had been living prior to war, however somehow the people cannot continue as it was before and it is scary because war changes people.