22 February 2019
NARRATOR BACKGROUND
The Sympathizer written by Viet Thanh Nguyen reflects much of the contradictions between Capitalism and Marxism as seen through the point of view of the narrator who is a Vietnamese communist mole in the ranks of the soldiers in the southern Democratic forces. When discussing his childhood the narrator establishes that he is the bastard son of a French priest and Vietnamese woman, and that he was raised in poverty with mainly his mother being present. His education was the way in which he was able to rise up from his impoverished life. His understanding of life and struggles in the lower class paired with his educational background and understanding of Marxist ideals (implied when he states its part of his job to inform the General of the short version meaning of these ideals) emphasizes that as an informed person he still chooses to align with the northern forces.
FEAR OF COMMUNISM
The book succeeds in showcasing the hate and fear people have of Marxist ideals and the implementation of a communist society. An example is shown while members of the upper class such as the general are fleeing the nation before the fall of Saigon, one of his workers, the chef, asks for his gun in order to kill himself before caught by the northern communist forces. Perhaps this fear is because of the communists realizing his relation to the General, however it shows that many fear these ideals (portrayed through the western lens) so much that they are more willing to die than to live within a communist society. Those who fled the country via boats and who surrounded the US embassy at Saigon further support this idea that death is better than life in a communist country. However, America’s involvement in Vietnam promoted democratic ideals while fueling fear and hatred of communist ideals.
MOVIEMAKING ASPECT
Furthermore, the movie-making aspect of the book where the Narrator is involved in the creation of a movie based on the Vietnam war exemplifies the power relations Marx discusses. In the capitalist society of America that they live in during the 1970s, Hollywood has surfaced as a great profiting industry. It’s not only intended to create art in the form of films but it’s intended to profit from the audience that watches these films.
While making the movie, the Narrator is irritated that the producer tends to stray away from a correct cultural portrayal of the Vietnamese. At one point he’s speaking with the producer’s assistant about why the actors playing Vietnamese characters don’t speak in the native language instead of English. The assistant responds by stating that the audience (those who will pay to watch the movie) aren’t going to be the Vietnamese who understand the native language but mainly Americans who are English speakers.
Language is a big part of culture and changing the language in a given setting has a big effect on the story being told. But in this case, the producer believes the language change is necessary to profit off of the movie, no matter the effect it has to the authenticity of the story.
This exemplifies one effect that capitalism has on society – showing that people believe it’s okay to compromise the authenticity of a story and change/tweak certain aspects that are important in portraying one’s culture, because they can profit from it and it economically benefits them.
This example shows how capitalism as the economic Base effects the Superstructure in terms of culture, art, and language, and how the value of remaining authentic to language, art, and culture can change (or decrease) if it means someone can profit off of it.
Conversations on Marxism 