The Unnamable Under Mask

The Sympathizer is the first novel written by the Vietnamese-American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen and wins for the author several literary awards.It is set in Vietnam and America during the 1975 Vietnam War.Based on his true experience as a refugee and the memories of the Vietnam War,Viet Thanh Nguyen vividly tells the hardships and bumps of the double-side spy with masks on who traveled between Vietnam and the United States during the Vietnam War.In the form of confession which is really a unique narrative strategy,the author reflects the most of the split and struggles of the protagonist’s heart.At the same time,humanity,the cruelty of war,refugees and some other serious and thought-provoking problems are fully revealed in the novel.The novel has also caused reflection on the Vietnam War.Based on the identity theory of the post-colonial theory put forward by Homi Bhabha,Edward Wadie Said,and other researchers,this thesis studies the multiple identity dilemmas that the protagonist encountered.Concentrating on dual political background,dual cultural background and dual social background,the protagonist’s identity dilemma and survival crisis are fully presented.The protagonist of The Sympathizer is a doubleside spy of the United States and Vietnam,putting on the masks to wander in the whirlpool of political powers,losing the real self under the masks,falling into a victim of the political interests of the two countries.Being swayed by political beliefs and friendship and moral standards,he gradually gets lost in the revolution which is heading to extremity and eventually loses his political beliefs and identity.He is also gradually caught in a dilemma when he is teetering on the brink of American culture and Vietnamese culture.Under the influence of Western culture represented by America and Eastern culture represented by Vietnam,the protagonist splits into two parts.On one hand,he is infatuated with the advanced technology,the convenient,efficient life,and the liberation of sex in Western culture.On the other hand,he hates the aggressiveness of American culture and is always eager to return to Vietnam.Under the masks,he hides the inner struggle caused by the collision of Eastern and Western cultures,and tries to put aside the contradiction temporarily with the masks,which is proved to be a pipe dream.The failure of social identity also appears.In multi-racial America,racial discrimination still exists.As an Asian with yellow skin,he is an alien in the mainstream society,hovering in the edge of society.At the same time,the discrimination against the half-breed in Vietnamese society aggravates the protagonist’s social identity dilemma,which finally makes him fall into survival crisis.In both American and Vietnamese societies,he is forced to put on the masks,being defined as a person with insulting labels.Through in-depth research,a conclusion is drawn that The Sympathizer reflects the complex identities of the protagonist in different political,cultural,and social backgrounds,as well as the dilemmas and crisis brought about by the complex identities.This is also the experience of Viet Thanh Nguyen,which reflects the universality of the predicament of immigrants in modern society and provides confidence for immigrants to face and overcome difficulties and to rebuild self-identity.In the background of contemporary multiculturalism,the boundaries of identity are no longer fixed.Duality of identity could be a flexible strategy.Abandoning a single identity and an inclusive hybridized identity may help immigrants bail out the dilemma.