It's hard to imagine Graham Greene didn't know what kind of controversy he would jump into when he portrayed the American in his masterpiece The Quiet American (William Heinemann, 1955) as, for lack of a better word, a terrorist. But that's exactly what Greene did, and in doing so he managed to cut to the heart of the story's theme, the idealism that often brings Americans to exotic new locations they know nothing about and attempt to fix the problems that they perceive.
Journalism at its Best
Thomas Fowler is the protagonist of the story, an older journalist who has a wife living in England but has spent years in Vietnam as the French War plays out. He has a mistress named Phuong, a woman he seems to truly love and would like to marry if his wife is willing to agree to a divorce. After a chance meeting with a young American named Pyle at the Continental Hotel, the two forge a lasting friendship. Pyle never fully explains why he's in Vietnam, but mentions regularly that he idealizes a "third force" to bring stability and prosperity to the nation, something colonialism and Communism can't achieve.
Fowler finds Pyle to be far to idealistic, and despite his journalism background he's more than willing to provide his opinion on the young American. While covering a battle in Phat Diem, Fowler meets Pyle again. Pyle is in love with Phuong and wants to marry her. Later, when they find themselves trapped in a guard tower under attack, they become more comfortable around each other and despite Phuong's decision to stay with Fowler, it seems not to have affected their tense friendship.
A Love Triangle and a Cuckold
Once things go awry, Fowler becomes the odd man out. He accepts the fact that Pyle will marry Phuong until an explosion in town kills innocent civilians and has all the markings of an outside job. Upon investigation, Fowler realizes that Pyle was responsible for the terrorist attack and must make the choice of whether to condemn Pyle to death.
The question, of course, is whether Fowler is willing to end Pyle's life because he truly believes Pyle is wrong, or because he wants Phuong back? Greene's narration does a fantastic job of blurring the line here, and providing a more journalistic approach to the writing just when the reader wants the exact opposite.
Is There Such a Thing as a "Quiet American"?
This is just one of the many questions Greene's great novel ask the reader. The narration is superb. The story is superb. The images of the town stick with you: its cafes fenced-in by massive strips of metal to prevent any grenade attacks; the dark, narrow side streets. This book has a timeless quality so long as there's never a "quiet American."
Ken Brosky - Ken Brosky's first novel was published in fall 2007. He has more than a dozen short stories published in magazines including Skyline and ...
