The Quiet Americanby Graham Greene

Teaching notes prepared for VATE members by Jill Barker

CONTENTS

1. Introduction Page 1

2. Ways into the text Page 3

3. Running sheet Page 8

4. A perspective on the text Page 12

5. Character, style and setting Page 15

6. A guided approach to selected passages Page 17

7. Activities for exploring the text Page 19

8 References Page 23

9 Appendix Page 24

Page numbers in these notes refer to Greene, Graham, The Quiet American, PF, Vintage, 2001

VATE Purchasers may copy Inside Stories for classroom use

Section 1. An introduction to The Quiet American

The Quiet American is set in Vietnam in the early 1950s and covers the time when French colonial rule was coming to an end and American interest and support for the anti-communist forces in Asia was on the rise. Like several of Greene’s novels that precede it, it is the result of his personal experiences in that part of the world. And like his earlier novels, it is recognisable in form and his desire to differentiate the two dichotomies: good/evil and right/wrong. There are some, however, who feel that this novel has a somewhat hackneyed feel after the spiritual/religious explorations in The Power and the Glory. Interestingly, it seems that Greene produced his best work when he was at his lowest ebb psychologically. When he was writing The Quiet American, his life seems to have been on a relatively even keel.

(Harry) Graham Greene was born in Berkhamstead in England in 1904. His father was the Headmaster of the local school and this in itself caused the young Greene some difficulties. At boarding school, he proved no good at games, an ingredient essential to acceptance in the school system of the time. The bullying of which he was a victim for much of his early school life, led eventually to a break down at the age of fifteen, and periodic episodes of depression and suicidal thoughts plagued him for the rest of his life. After he completed his secondary schooling, Greene was accepted into Balliol College at Oxford University and, whilst there, developed his taste for dangerous activities, cementing his friendship with spy, Kim Philby, and playing Russian Roulette six times, obviously with more than a little luck. After graduation, he turned to journalism and with his taste for danger and excitement whetted, set off for Africa where he discovered that everything he thought of as ‘seedy’ appeared to be of European origin, whereas everything exotic and beautiful was African. And so began his long love affair with travel and the mysterious worlds of colonial settlement.

In 1926, Greene converted to Catholicism in order to marry his wife, Vivien. His writing became the main source of financial support for his family, although his journalistic experiences continued to inform his work. We see this in The Quiet American where his main protagonist, Thomas Fowler, is a journalist or a ‘reporter’ as Fowler’s non-involved persona would prefer, and Greene uses reportage and the first person narrator to give his story a ‘realistic’ and objective feel. This sensation is increased by the use of the retrospective narrative style and the frequent changes in time that link the days before and after Pyle’s death. Like Fowler, too, Greene also appears to have been a serial adulterer and whilst in South East Asia in 1951 turned to opium to deal with his depression. In these ways, parts of the novel can be seen to be autobiographical, with many of Fowler’s habits reflecting those of Greene himself. But many commentators feel that to say that Fowler is Greene would be to stretch the connection too far.

The novel is an interesting mix of fact and fiction. Greene alludes to this in the letter to Réné and Phuong included before the introductory poetic extracts. He claims that the main characters are fictional and that he has altered the order of events for his own purposes. However, there are some who claim that The Quiet American ‘ought to be required reading for anyone planning a visit to Vietnam.’1 It is still possible to visit many of the places Greene mentions in the text just as one can book tours in

1 Tom Curry, Literary Traveller, www.literarytraveler.com/special/greene.htm

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Vienna to visit the haunts inhabited by another of Greene’s inventions, Harry Lime. It is this basis of fact that underpins the narrative of The Quiet American and combines with the reporter’s voice to give an air of authenticity to what Greene insists is ‘a story and not a piece of history.’ One of the ironies of this claim came to light with the coincidence of the release of the latest film of the novel and the events of September 11, 2001. The accusations of anti-Americanism that had confronted Greene at the time of the book’s publication, took on a new significance in the light of the world-changing events in New York and, as a result, the release of the film was delayed. By then Graham Greene had been dead a decade but no doubt he would have been intrigued to know how the events and ideas he explored still had relevance four decades after he first canvassed them.

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Section 2. Ways into the text

Glossary. To assist students in their understanding it could be helpful to provide a glossary of the following terms

Annamite Person from the eastern coastal portion of Indo-China, which became part of Vietnam in 1946. (p.12)

Berkeleian From George Berkeley and Irish bishop and idealist philosopher (1685-1753). His earliest thinking encompassed the idea that visual experience did not constitute proof that something existed, hence Fowler’s comment to Pyle on page 94.

Byron, Lord George English Romantic poet (1788-1824). He became impassioned with his desire to free the Greeks from their subjugation to the Turks but he died of fever in Greece before he saw any military action on their behalf. Lines from his poem ‘Don Juan’ are used as a preface to the novel and the ideas they embody clearly inform much of Greene’s thinking.

Caodaism Indigenous Vietnamese religion centred in Tay Ninh (Tanyin) Province, southern Vietnam. It was founded and initially propagated by Ngo Van Chieu, a minor official who, in 1919, claimed to have had a series of spiritual revelations. The faith grew under the leadership of Le Van Trung, its first "pope" or Supreme Chief, chosen in 1925. Doctrinally, the religion is a blend of Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Western nineteenth-century romanticism. Before the fall of Saigon, the Cao Dai had about 1 to 2 million adherents.

Clough, Arthur H. English poet (1819-61) whose poetry questioned the doctrinaire attitudes of his day. It is from his poem, Spectator Ab Extra, that Fowler reads as he gives the signal that will lead to Pyle’s death. (p.177). Lines from another of Clough’s poems, ‘Amour de Voyage’, Canto II, preface the novel along with those from ‘Don Juan’ by Byron.

Colonialism A complex process that became prevalent amongst major world powers from the fifteenth century onwards. Used as a means of expanding territory, resources and/or influence, it turned the world into a sort of giant Monopoly game where humanity was seen as expendable in the face of the covetous desire for wealth and power. It was a system much deplored by Greene.

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Crane, Stephen 1871-1900. Writer of poems and novels, noted for his daring journalistic exploits. His most famous book, The Red Badge of Courage, an “eye-witness account” of the American Civil War, won him enormous acclaim and set a standard (to which Granger refers on page 36) for managing to write convincingly about a war in which he was not involved.

Hoa Hao Indigenous Vietnamese religion centred in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam. It was founded in the 1930s by Huynh Phu So, the son of a village elder in Chau Doc Province. Doctrinally, the faith is a variant of Mahayana Buddhism, but unlike Caodaism, allows no intermediary between man and the Supreme Being. Before the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Hoa Hao had more than 1 million adherents.

Opium A derivative of a particular sort of poppy, opium forms the basis for some modern medicines and banned drugs such as heroin. In Asian countries it was freely available until the middle of the twentieth century and smoked for its stimulant, intoxicant or narcotic effect. Wars have been fought over opium and, whilst Fowler believes it sharpens his senses and makes his head clearer, Greene also shows its devastating effect through Mr Chou who ‘smokes one hundred and fifty pipes every day.’ (p.127)

Pascal , Blaise French mathematician, physicist and moralist (1623-62). His literary reputation rests on two works: La Provinciales and Pensées, an incomplete defence of the Christian religion. These two texts ‘form a survey of the contradictions of human existence.’2

Vigot is reading Pascal’s Pensées when we first meet him (p.16) and it is this fact that allows Fowler to see him in the guise of a priest to whom he feels tempted to confess (p.168).

Quatre Cent Vingt-et-un A game of dice in which each player is allowed three throws of three dice. Each player has 11 counters to begin with and they share another stock of 10 counters. The winner is the one who is left with no counters.

2 Margaret Drabble (ed) The Oxford Companion to English Literature, p.741VATE Inside Stories The Quiet American 4

Thé, Colonel Trin Minh Caodaist army officer who favoured neither the French nor the Communists. He set himself up as the leader of the National Resistance Front with whom the Americans were in contact before the French left the country and the Americans moved in. Greene uses his connection with Pyle to express his disapproval of Thé and the Americans alike. Some believe, however, that “without [Thé] there would be no tragedy” in the book.3

Third Force Pyle sees a Third Force as being the answer to the problems in Vietnam. This is something his hero, York Harding, has proposed and Pyle zealously embraces this idea as a forerunner to America’s involvement in the country. It is this ‘Third Force’ that admits responsibility for the series of bicycle bombs.

Viet Minh Contraction of the term Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi (Vietnam Independence League), a coalition of nationalist elements dominated by the communists and led by veteran revolutionary Ho Chi Minh. The movement first identified itself in May 1941, when it called for an uprising against the French colonial government. It proclaimed the independence of Vietnam on September 2, 1945, and led the anti-French guerrilla war that followed until the victory at Dien Bien Phu (1954) brought the conflict to an end. In The Quiet American, Pyle’s allegiance is to the anti-communist forces led by General Thé whereas Mr Heng’s loyalty is to the Viet Minh.

Developing some predictions about the author’s intentions

Greene uses extracts from two poems to preface the novel. Investigation into the extracts and the poems from which they come, and the poets concerned: Byron and Clough could provide some early clues on the message Greene hoped to convey through his text. Clough is also the author of the lines on page 177. These, along with Fowler’s comment about the author: ‘an adult poet of the nineteenth century. There weren’t so many of them’, could also add something to our understanding of his perspective on the issues he pursues in his novel.

Establish a background for understanding the context of the novel

Groups of students could be set the task of using the Internet to research various aspects of the country and the First and Second Indo-Chinese Wars. Newspaper archives hold particularly memorable images of those times.

3 Norman Sherry, The Life of Graham Greene Vol. II 1939-1955, p.405VATE Inside Stories The Quiet American 5

Speakers could be invited from the Vietnamese community in order to bring the life and experience that Greene talks about closer to home. In the same way, students might find a visit from a member of the Vietnam Veterans’ Association or the RSL helps them understand the conflict more easily.

Using film to establish a context of understanding

There are many films dealing with the Vietnam War but most of these focus on the American role in the country after the defeat of the French at the battle of Dien Bien Phu. Showing films such as The Green Beret or Apocalypse Now, whilst interesting, could be confusing to students. Research indicates that there is not a great deal of relevant filmic material although The Lost Command (1966) deals with French soldiers suffering defeat at Dien Bien Phu, and the 1992 film, The Lover, set in 1920s Saigon is filmed in Vietnam and so provides visual background which might be of use. Neither of these films, however, might be suitable for every school.

Discussing personal standpoint and perspectives on war

War inevitably speaks of ‘enemies’ and ‘allies’ but these terms depend very much on the perspective and nationality of the speaker. Some discussion of these aspects of conflict could provide a good introduction into what might seem to be Fowler’s ambivalence about Pyle and what he stands for.

Consider the nature of history taught be different countries. How might the events of World War Two be taught by schools in Japan, Germany, America and Australia? (Several years ago, the plan to build a Japanese garden in a country town produced cries of outrage from the local RSL).

A collection of articles and letters to the editor concerning the recent war in Iraq could lead to interesting discussions about how the same event can prompt completely different reactions depending on the subjective viewpoint.

Developing an understanding of the difficulties of objectivity

Discuss: - what effect do emotions such as love, hate and jealousy have on the way

people behave? - is there any such thing as a completely altruistic and objective reaction to a

situation in which we have a vested interest?- student ideas on things such as drink/driving, graffiti, train surfing, shop lifting

and the penalties that these attract would be interesting in the light of, ‘What if it happened to you?”

- stories in daily newspapers which reflect people’s attitudes when they have been the victim of either the crime or the penalty could aid the discussion. Many people’s attitudes to such things as the death penalty, for instance, might feel differently if they are directly involved in a crime that attracts such a sanction.

Identifying differences between journalism/reporting

Discuss: - what is the difference between being a Journalist and being a Reporter? Ask

students to find examples from recent newspapers to demonstrate the difference, as they understand it.

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- why might someone prefer to be called one rather than the other?- the question of responsibility has always been a difficult one for the reporter

and the photojournalist. Students who have read Scott Anderson’s Triage would be aware of some of these issues. But newspapers such as The Age sometimes run talks or provide speakers that could provide a basis for discussion. Showing students photos – in their edited and un-edited formats – that have been taken in war zones would also be useful. The Vietnam War produced some very good examples of this, notably of the young girl running naked down the road after a napalm attack.

The ‘Schoolboy Adventure’

Young people today might not have had access to the sorts of writing that seems to inform the creation of aspects of Pyle’s character. Copies of stories such as those in some of the Annuals specifically targeting boys that were so popular in the middle of the twentieth century could provide insight into Greene’s thinking in the creation of Alden Pyle. If it is possible to obtain such material read one extract aloud to students in class and invite student response to the handling of character and the values that are evident.

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Section 3. Running sheet

PART 1Chapter 1

First person narrator, world-weary British foreign correspondent, Thomas Fowler, awaits the arrival of Alden Pyle but Pyle, the quiet American, is already dead. Phuong, is also waiting for Pyle and mixes opium for Fowler’s pipe as he wonders whether she will consent to sleep with him. A policeman arrives and insists that Fowler and Phuong immediately attend the French Sureté where Vigot, a French officer, interviews them. The events detailed in this chapter follow Fowler’s solo dinner and revelatory conversation with Granger that are documented in Part Four, Chapter 2 (3).

Chapter 2 (1) We are introduced to Pyle who reveals his admiration for the American writer York Harding and his interest in Harding’s suggestion of the establishment of a ‘Third Force’. The chronological narrative commences with this chapter.

(2) Phuong agrees to return to live with Fowler thus necessitating a visit to Pyle’s flat to retrieve her possessions. Vigot is at the flat and Fowler states that he is “not involved” in Pyle’s death or anything else. Vigot allows him to take one of the books by York Harding as a memento of Pyle. This chapter returns us to the morning after Pyle’s death.

Chapter 3 (1) Pyle meets Phuong for the first time. We also meet Bill Granger, one of the loudest members of the American Press contingent. Granger persuades Pyle to join him in his visit to the House of the Five Hundred Girls; Fowler follows and rescues the innocent young man.This chapter returns us to the chronological story.

(2) Dinner at the Chalet and Fowler reflects how much simpler his courtship of Phuong would have been had he been able to offer marriage. Phuong’s elder sister, Miss Hei, joins them and shows her interest in Pyle’s eligibility as a husband for her sister. Fowler hears about the attack on Phat Diem and curses the luck that would allow him a scoop when all he wants is to escape danger.

Chapter 4 (1) Fowler arrives in Phat Diem and accompanies group of German parachutists on a mission. They come upon a canal filled with bodies and Fowler sees a dead woman with a child of about six years old. He realises he hates war. Suddenly, at 3 am, Fowler wakes to see Pyle standing in the doorway of his room.

(2) Pyle seems unaware of the danger he has faced and tells Fowler that he has fallen in love with Phuong.

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Chapter 5 Pyle manages to leave Phat Diem on the morning of his arrival but it is three weeks before Fowler returns to Saigon. In his room he finds a cable containing news of his promotion to foreign editor back in London.

PART TWOChapter 1

Pyle and his dog arrive to see Phuong and Fowler acts as interpreter between them. Fowler writes to his estranged wife, Helen, asking for a divorce. He expects as little success with this request as he expects from the letter to the editor, but tells Phuong about both.

Chapter 2 (1) In Tanyin, the Holy See for the Caodaists, Fowler interviews the Caodaist Pope. He sees Pyle in the street talking to a Caodaist commandant. Pyle’s car is not repaired in time and Fowler offers him transport back to Saigon before the hours of the curfew.

(2) Fowler’s car has been sabotaged and runs out of petrol on the way out of the area. They reach a watchtower that carries the Vietnamese flag and Fowler climbs the ladder, all the time expecting to be shot.

(3) Two Vietnamese men occupy the tower. Conversation on a number of topics, both political and personal, ensues between the Fowler and Pyle. The sound of a loud speaker announces that their guard tower is about to be attacked. Pyle and Fowler climb down the ladder and Fowler falls, spraining his ankle as the tower is destroyed.

(4) Pyle drags Fowler into the rice paddy saving his life. When Pyle leaves to find help, his behaviour makes him seem like a ‘hero in a boy’s adventure-story.’ Fowler begins to realise there is no such thing as non-involvement as he thinks of the Vietnamese men in the tower who are now almost certainly dead. Pyle returns with help.

Chapter 3 (1) Fowler returns to the flat after his stay in the Legion Hospital on the road back towards Tanyin. There is a letter from his wife. When Phuong asks if Helen has consented to the divorce, Fowler lies and says she is not sure. Then he writes a letter to Pyle, extending the lie by saying that the divorce will go ahead.

(2) Fowler goes to the Quai Mytho, and meets Mr Chou’s manager, Mr Heng, who offers to show him the warehouse. Fowler is shown a mould and a drum that had contained Diolacton, an American plastic.

(3) Pyle calls and Fowler opens the door only to see Phuong and Pyle together as if they have just been kissing. Pyle accuses Fowler of lying to him in the letter he sent saying that Helen had agreed to a divorce.

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PART THREEChapter 1

(1) A fortnight after Pyle’s death Vigot sees Fowler in Boulevard Charner and asks when he last saw Pyle.The events of this chapter take place after those in Part One, Chapter 2 (2).

(2), Fowler finds himself questioning Phuong’s every move, unconsciously running down anything that is American. Fowler witnesses the explosion of bicycles in the fountain. Mr Heng asks Fowler if the bicycle pump reminds him of anything. Fowler visits the garage of Mr Muoi finding a machine that has obviously been used to make the bicycle bombs.’ When he returns to his flat, neither Phuong nor her possessions is there.This chapter continues the chronological story.

(3) Fowler goes to the American Legation and asks to see Pyle who is not there. He recognises that his relationship with Phuong is over. He goes into the Men’s Room and cries.

(4) Fowler leaves Saigon and travels to ‘the front’ at Haiphong. He is invited to take part in a ‘vertical raid’ - a bombing run - near the Chinese border. A sampan and its occupants are destroyed and once again Fowler becomes aware that he hates war.

(5) Captain Trouin, Fowler’s pilot on the vertical raid, insists on being his host that night in the opium house despite the fact that he does not indulge himself. Fowler takes home the beautiful prostitute in the house, only to find his body fails him.

Chapter 2 (1) When Fowler arrives back in Saigon, he finds Pyle waiting for him at his flat. A letter from his office only grants his request to remain in Vietnam. Pyle talks of his plans for marriage ‘back home’ and Fowler asks him to treat Phuong well.

(2) Fowler looks for a new flat then goes to the Pavillon where he overhears two girls mention that they need to be away from the area by 11.25 am. An explosion interrupts his thoughts. He meets Pyle who looks sickened when he gets blood on his. Fowler sees Pyle’s distress and realises that those who are eternally innocent must be either controlled or eliminated.

PART FOURChapter 1

Phuong goes to the cinema with her sister. Vigot visits Fowler and says that they know Fowler is not the murderer. Fowler admires Vigot’s expertise and dedication to his job and wishes he could confess to him that he had seen Pyle the night he died.This chapter follows Part Three, Chapter 1 (1).

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Chapter 2 (1) After leaving Mr Muoi’s garage, Fowler goes to see Mr Heng. Fowler tells Mr Heng that Pyle must be stopped and Mr Heng suggests that this can be done with Fowler’s help. Mr Heng points out, as did Captain Trouin, that Fowler must take sides in order to remain human.This chapter returns us to the chronological story.

(2) Fowler sends a message to Pyle asking him to visit him. Pyle’s indifference to the damage he is creating with his bombs convinces Fowler and so he gives the signal arranged with Mr Heng. The more he talks, the more Fowler’s resolve hardens.

(3) Fowler goes to the Vieux Moulin where Granger is hosting a party. Granger approaches drunkenly and demands that Fowler “come outside”. He tells Fowler that his son has just been diagnosed with polio and that today is his eighth birthday. Fowler offers to help and then wonders whether he is so different to Pyle after all.

Chapter 3 Phuong returns from the cinema after Vigot has left and gives Fowler a telegram. Helen, his wife, has agreed to a divorce. Fowler looks at the York Harding book he has souvenired from Fowler reflects on the fact that everything has gone right for him since Pyle’s death, but he wishes that there were someone to whom he could apologise. The events here occur immediately after those in Part Four, Chapter 1 bringing us up to the ‘present’ time in the context of the story.

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Section 4. A perspective on the text

The Quiet American has attracted a wide range of critical reaction from those who see it is as yet another of Graham Greene’s fascinating explorations of the psychology of moral dilemma, to those who feel that it says nothing new and is simply an anti-American diatribe. And perhaps it contains elements of both these things. However, to see it as just one of these – or, indeed, to focus on whether Greene is pushing the communist barrow – would be to deny the richness of the text and the range of discussion it promotes.

Thomas Fowler, the hard-nosed and experienced reporter – he eschews the title ‘journalist’ seeing it as describing someone who is too commercial and slick, and possessed of opinions – has spent his life insisting that it is possible to embrace non-involvement as a mode of existence. As they sit in the watchtower on the road from Tanyin, he tells Pyle “’it’s lucky I’m not engagé, there are things I might be tempted to do – because here in the East – well, I don’t like Ike. I like – well – these two. This is their country’” (p. 97-8). Pyle scoffs at him saying that he is just “’ arguing for the sake of arguing. You’re an intellectual. You stand for the importance of the individual as much as I do – or York’” (p.97). And this is perhaps the crux of the matter, the central dilemma for the reader and, incidentally, for Greene himself. As Fowler asks more than once, “Was I so different from Pyle?” (p.185), we are forced to question whether there is any such thing as the moral high ground; whether anyone at all can stand back and remain simply the objective observer. Sooner or later, Fowler finds that what Captain Trouin tells him is the truth, “’one has to take sides. If one is to remain human’” (p.174).

It is easy to laugh at Alden Pyle’s foolish schoolboy innocence and the way he lives his life as if it were some sort of ‘boy’s adventure-story’ (p.113), to see an excuse for his behaviour in Fowler’s almost indulgent comments: “I never knew a man to have better motives for all the trouble he caused” (p.60),. But the fact remains that “what is wrong with Pyle’s approach is its combination of innocence and brutal efficiency”.4

Greene, through Fowler, works very hard to avoid his demonisation and one has to ask why, when it would be so easy to paint his behaviour as completely unforgivable. This is part of the joy of the book. Nothing is simple or straightforward in life or in The Quiet American. Fowler has no difficulty in claiming that Pyle is a friend. He speaks to Vigot of his all-round American boyish decency with a kind of muted admiration and defiance: “He’s a good chap in his way. Serious. Not one of those noisy bastards at the Continental. A quiet American” (p.17). The conflict of interest that arises from this quasi-approval is reminiscent of Holly Martins’ difficulty in recognising Harry Lime’s criminality in The Third Man also by Graham Greene. Like Martins, it is not until Fowler is confronted by the results of Pyle’s dangerous sincerity – ‘A woman … on the ground with what was left of her baby in her lap… the headless torso on the edge of the garden’ (p.162) – that he realises ‘you can’t blame the innocent, they are always guiltless. All you can do is control them or eliminate them. Innocence is a kind of insanity.’ (p163). As readers, however, we might feel a stirring of suspicion about such apologetic condemnation. One feels obliged to ask whether Fowler is less critical of Pyle because secretly he sees the American as a younger version of himself with qualities he would quite like to embrace. In a sense, although he is overtly proud of his neutrality, there is a fine line between this and apathy. The fact that we are aware of Fowler’s tendency to lethargy in other areas of his life makes uncertainly and distrust more likely here.

4 Michael Shelden, Graham Greene: The Man Within, p.398VATE Inside Stories The Quiet American 12

It is tempting to suggest that through Fowler we hear the authorial voice, and sometimes that would seem to be true. Although Greene was a confirmed anti-colonialist, the closeness of his identification with Fowler suggests that he is sceptical about those who completely dismiss it. In Fowler’s conversation with Pyle in the tower, it is Pyle who speaks disparagingly of colonialism and Fowler who suggests that the alternative is just as hypocritical; that colonialism does at least signify some sort of continuing support for the country under threat. He brands Pyle’s version of support as “’encourag[ing] them with a little equipment and a toy industry’” (p.96). It is episodes like this that lead the reader to ask whether Pyle and Fowler are not simply two facets of the one persona. It has been suggested, ‘there is a bit of Pyle in all of us.’ 5 But in some ways, this begs the question. Fowler’s relationship with Pyle seems to be a paternalistic one in many respects and perhaps this is what offends him most, that Pyle simply feels that it is acceptable to walk in and take Fowler’s ‘girl.’ The situation is made even more ridiculous when, after Pyle’s declaration at Phat Diem, Fowler says, “I suppose I ought to knock you down”. Fowler’s words are typical of the way he sees the world and his recognition of the ‘fictional’ nature of Pyle’s behaviour and understanding. Pyle underscores this in his response that is straight from the Boy Scout guide to fair play: “Of course,” he said, “you’ve every right, Thomas. But I boxed at college – and I’m so much younger” (p.73). These put the battle onto the level of the jungle. They give it a sort of logic that Fowler immediately rejects and they move the relationship between the two away from that of child and indulgent parent, to the conflict between dominant males. Whilst such a view separates the two, it also ironically draws them closer together. We can see that if Greene is represented by Fowler, Pyle also represents him. Through the two it is possible to see a development of ideas from those of the young, idealistic but naïve person to the more experienced, more wary and older person who has not just learned about history at school but has actually lived through some of it. This is not all, of course. Many have seen the two men as symbols of ‘the American/European dichotomy’ 6, the old and new order occurring in the world at that time. Fowler as the more developed of the two finds himself in the position of having to choose as he sees where Pyle’s stance will inevitably lead if allowed to continue. He cannot remain with clean hands, that is, disengaged or neutral, forever. But were it not for Pyle’s assault on the thing he holds most dear, we might ask whether engagement would be as assured.

This conflict of interest also arouses one of the most interesting points of discussion within the novel and that is the question of Fowler’s impartiality in regard to Pyle’s death. It is true that Fowler doesn’t immediately embrace the chance to have his rival for Phuong’s affections destroyed. It is true, too, that Greene has provided us with enough information to allow us to agree with Fowler’s assessment that Pyle is simply too dangerous to continue to exist. However, what makes the whole thing more difficult for us is that we have been made privy to Fowler’s fears and longings. We have seen something of his private life and his inadequacies, and we have been privileged with his self-doubt and the reluctance with which he makes any move that is even faintly reminiscent of engagement. In fact, we have been presented with a flawed but essentially decent man who is in many ways an “everyman” with whom we can empathise. Where we stand on his decision to give the signal to the trishaw driver will almost certainly be about how we feel about ourselves.

In the end, Fowler finds for himself things he has denied in the certainty of his sophistication. As he waits for Pyle knowing he won’t come, he finds himself praying

5 Michael Shelden, Graham Greene: The Man Within, p.4036 Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, Graham Greene’s Childless Fathers, p.55VATE Inside Stories The Quiet American 13

to a God in whom he does not believe. When Phuong reacts with joyous pragmatism to the news of Fowler’s impending divorce – in fact, reacts in just the way Fowler has predicted to Pyle – he feels a pang of disappointment. And as she runs from the room to tell her sister the good news, he thinks nostalgically of Pyle and wishes ‘that there existed someone to whom I could say that I was sorry.’ (p.189). It is these dark and contradictory elements in Thomas Fowler that leave us with more questions than answers at the end of the book. It is, indeed, the story of a very quiet American, but it also the story of one who has lived to learn the truth of Captain Trouin’s words: “’We all get involved in a moment of emotion and then we cannot get out. War and Love – they have always been compared.” (p.152). Vietnam in 1951 is the perfect setting to explore such a collision.

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Section 5. Character, style and setting

Setting

The Quiet American is set in Vietnam where, in Saigon, we are confronted by a many-layered society. Superimposed upon Vietnam’s long history is the world of French colonialism. Whilst this might initially have led to some sort of stability, at the time of which Greene is writing, the colonial rule is limping towards its conclusion and many interests are rising in response to the situation. Not least of these are conflicting interests amongst the Vietnamese themselves and as seems to happen inevitably in such a situation, major world powers are drawn into the lines of alliance. So in The Quiet American, we have the growth of Communist forces - the Vietminh later to become the Vietcong in the north - aligned with China and making forays into the southern regions at night. In the south, the non-communist forces who are no friends to their French colonial rulers are, therefore, open to the support being offered by the American government. Greene’s novel occurs on the cusp of this huge change and is thus riddled with the contradictions, questions and tensions inherent in a world where multiple interest vie for supremacy.

Whilst much of the action of the novel takes place in Saigon, both Fowler and Pyle journey to other places for various reasons. Both of them end up in Phat Diem, Fowler in the hope of a ‘scoop’ that will put him ahead of other reporters, and Pyle who embarks on a crazy ‘Boys’ Own’ adventure into the teeth of war to tell Fowler that he intends to compete for Phuong. Fowler learns that he ‘hate[s] war’ (p.53) and intends to keep Phuong, and Pyle manages to convince himself that Fowler has “been swell, swell there’s no other word for it” (p.59). The trip to Tanyin has other connotations, as it is one that they share from the outset. It serves to underline Pyle’s naiveté as well as his unconscious courage when he saves Fowler’s life. It adds another layer to the already contradictory elements that go to make up his character emphasising the difficulties Greene perceives in the ‘black-and-white’ approach to morality.

Characters

In some ways, Greene’s characters are representations of these various positions and, as such, have an element of contrivance about them. Fowler and Pyle, for instance, appear diametrically opposed: Fowler, the older Englishman, symbolic of the rational and calm attitudes brought about by experience and decency, Pyle, young, naïve and overwhelmingly confident in his ability to create a better world, symbolic of the newness of America as a world power. Then there are Granger, the American journalist, loud, brash, mildly corrupt and always spoiling for a fight, and Vigot, the French policeman. In a book where most embrace an atheistic stance despite expressing the wish that they would like to believe in God, there would seem to be no place for a priest, a character common to many others of Greene’s earlier works. Therefore, the Pascal-reading policeman to whom Fowler wishes to confess fills that role adding the requisite spiritual dimension.

There are other characters, cameos really, who work symbolically within the text. Mr Heng when set against Colonel Thé allows us to see the morality of the two forces fighting for dominance in the country. Fowler’s support of Mr Heng positions us to be more sceptical of the anti-communist line and therefore serves to increase our

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suspicion of Pyle and the growing American presence in the area. This is interesting in that Fowler spends a lot of time telling us that he feels quite kindly towards Pyle, yet he has him killed. Perhaps from Greene’s point of view, it is necessary that readers disapprove of Pyle independently of what they are being told by the narrator.

And where to place Phuong? Apart from her sister, Miss Hei, she is the only female with a speaking role in the book. Even so, there is very little development of her character, and, once again, she is useful more for what she represents than for what she is. First of all, she is the prize for which Pyle and Fowler must contest. Through her we see their contrasting values and it is through her, too, that Fowler comes to understand more about himself and about the nature of love and its place in his life. But Phuong is also there to provide us with some understanding of Vietnam and its people. Just as we must gain understanding of the men in the tower through the agency of Fowler, Phuong and her people come to us distilled through his view as well. Pyle’s insistence that the Vietnamese are like children is dismissed by Fowler and shown to be a dangerous over-simplification.

Style

The sense of ‘journey’ is reflected in the narrative structure of the novel which interweaves the chronological story, from the first meeting with Alden Pyle to his death under the Dakow bridge, with the aftermath of the death, the outline of the investigation and the so-called ‘happy ending’ as Fowler discovers his freedom to marry Phuong. In not following the plot from beginning to end in a conventional way, Greene has allowed Fowler’s eventual involvement to be both immediately obvious as well as gradually revealed and explained. Knowing the end before we understand the beginning adds weight to Fowler’s ambivalence about Pyle and also the questions that we must confront about the impartiality of his betrayal of him.

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Section 6. A guided approach to selected passages

Part One Chapter 1: pp 16–20 From “’What do you know about Pyle?’” to ‘…the refrigerating plant hummed in the basement.’

This is our first “meeting” with Pyle. What do we learn about him? How do Pyle and Fowler differ? In what ways are they similar? What does Fowler mean when he says, “God save us always from the innocent

and the good”? Is Fowler innocent as he claims? Consider his version of events on p.19. Why

does he lie?

Part One Chapter 4 (2): pp 56-60 From ‘Pyle continued to unpack to ‘So we drank saying nothing.’

How is Pyle’s nobility of purpose in coming to Phat Diem both at odds with his actions in support of the Third Force and consistent with it?

Greene stresses cultural differences throughout the novel. In what ways does Pyle convey Greene’s attitude to America and Americans in this extract?

Fowler says, “I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused”. Are Pyle’s motives as good as Fowler would have us believe?

Why can neither Pyle nor Fowler say “Good luck”?

Part Two Chapter 2 (4): pp 111–114 From ‘But in the very second that my sneeze broke …’ to ‘… after the hypodermic of morphia had bitten my leg.’

Significant events happen when Fowler is away from Saigon. How does this section contribute to his understanding of himself and those around him?

Consider other times in the book when Fowler has to move away in order to gain enlightenment. Are there similarities between these times?

Fowler expresses quite a cynical view of love in this section. Does his behaviour now and at other parts of the book bear out his words?

Fowler claims that his prime motivation is peace of mind. Can we believe him?

Part Four Chapter 2 (3): pp 182–186 From “’A table for one?’” to ‘Then I went down into the street without hope and found Phuong there.’

Greene often demonstrates that one can’t make assumptions based simply on culture or appearance. How is this demonstrated to Fowler in this extract?

What makes Fowler realise that he has become engage despite his best intentions?

Why does Granger choose Fowler to hear his story of pain and guilt? The final sentence of this extract and of this chapter, juxtaposes “without hope”

and the finding of Phuong. What is the impact of this sentence after the

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seeming irrelevance of Granger’s anecdote and Pyle’s death, which has presumably occurred during the telling of it?

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Section 7. Activities for exploring the text

Using film to stimulate discussion

The planned release of the latest filmed version of The Quiet American coincided with the events of September 11, 2001 in New York. Students could be asked to suggest reasons why something might be deemed to be too sensitive for release at such a distressing time. Discussion could focus on world attitudes to terrorism and power, as well as subsequent events involving America.

Select several sections of the book that describe the main characters in detail. Ask students to read these carefully and then show the equivalent scenes in the film. Discussion could take a number of directions form here, but a productive use of the comparison between the two versions of the same text could be to discuss the merits or otherwise of the visual adaptation. Students would have to closely engage with the text to support their views of the characters and Greene’s portrayal of them.

The Joseph L. Mankiewicz film of The Quiet American (1958) reverses the roles of the two main characters, making Alden Pyle an entirely good American and tapping into a vein of darkness in Fowler’s character. Showing this film would open up some interesting discussion in the light of the previous two questions. Time might not permit the showing of two film versions, but asking students to think about ways in which Pyle and Fowler could occupy the positions described, would provide an opportunity to explore the ambiguities Greene almost certainly embraces in the text.

Developing Commentaries

In small groups, students could be asked to take one or two of the following comments for discussion. To the larger group, they could provide an interpretation of the comment and a critical assessment of its accuracy in the light of the novel. (They might also incorporate some of the suggestions related to the excerpts included from Byron’s ‘Don Juan’ and Clough’s two poems: Spectator Ab Extra and ‘Amour de Voyage.’)

Greene on Greene- …Perhaps there is more direct rapportage (sic) in The Quiet American

than in any other novel I have written … and my choice of a journalist as the "I" seemed to me to justify the use of rapportage (sic). (Graham Greene in Ways of Escape, pp.139-140)

- If I were to choose an epigraph for all the novels I have written, it would be from ‘Bishop Blougram’s Apology’ [by Robert Browning]

‘Our interest’s on the dangerous edge of things,

The honest thief, the tender murderer,

The superstitious atheist …’

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Graham Greene in A Sort of Life

Others on Greene

- It is, in fact, the ultimate strength of Greene's books that he shows us the hazards of compassion. Pico Iyer

- Graham Greene was in a class by himself...He will be read and remembered as the ultimate twentieth-century chronicler of consciousness and anxiety.William Golding

- Mr. Greene is a storyteller of genius. … It is the camera's eye which moves from the hotel balcony to the street below, picks out the policeman, follows him to his office, moves about the room from the handcuffs on the wall to the broken rosary in the drawer, recording significant detail. It is the modern way of telling a story...

Evelyn Waugh

- New Yorker writer, A. J. Liebling, reviewed The Quiet American when it was first published. Rather than write openly of his annoyance at what he perceived as its anti-Americanism, he chose to attack the portrayal of Alden Pyle. His comments centred on his view that this character’s idiom does not sound American but rather the way a Frenchman might have thought an Englishman might speak. Ask students to select passages of dialogue and comment on the accuracy of the culture they reflect.

Work in groups

Groups of students should work together to create a chronological timeline of the events in the book in order to explore the development of Fowler’s attitude to Pyle and his eventual betrayal of him.

Who is guilty? Students should first decide as a class which characters they feel might qualify for this label. Then small groups could select a character to investigate. A class debate or trial could be conducted in which a spokesperson for each group either accuses or defends ‘their’ character in order to clarify their responsibility in the events that occur in the book. This activity could be conducted by considering the role of countries rather than just people if students’ knowledge is adequate.

Creating a diagram to represent the text and the links between characters and events is often a good way of developing understanding and creating a series of questions to broaden discussion. Students could be asked to do this using any one of the brainstorming/mind mapping tools they have used for essay planning. They might prefer to do this in a more graphic format and could try setting out their diagram using different characters as starting points. Sharing this with other groups could be valuable in exploring a range of perspectives on the text.

Writing and discussion

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Phuong is given very little opportunity to speak for herself in the novel. Both Pyle and Fowler – and even her sister, Miss Hei by default – speak on her behalf. Are their assessments of her correct? On page 140, Fowler says:’I wanted to read her thoughts, but they were hidden away in a language I couldn’t speak.’ Groups of students could find the references made by others to her. Students could then individually write an ‘inner monologue’ for Phuong in which she gives her take on the events in the book. A similar activity could be conducted for other characters. Vigot and Granger might prove interesting in this regard.

A map of Vietnam highlighting the areas visited by various characters could be used in conjunction with a close study of the text to discover the significance of each of these in relation to the character’s development. Even when Fowler moves around Saigon, he learns something new. For instance, after Phuong leaves him, he seeks a new apartment (p.157). What is the significance of this experience?

In many ways, Vietnam is an isolating experience for those who are sent there as part of their employment. Letters and telegrams form an important link with the outside world. We see one of Fowler’s wife’s letters (p.117-9) when she refuses his request for a divorce. We also are given the text of the telegram (p.188) in which she states her change of heart. If Helen had written the latter as a letter, what would she have written?

Trace the relationship of Granger and Fowler. Why does Granger eventually seek out Fowler in whom to confide when he hears of his son’s illness (p.184-6)? Does this interview change our ideas about Granger? Why does Granger seem such an unlovable character for so much of the book? Is Greene indeed as anti-American as critics have suggested?

Many references are made to York Harding: ‘ a superior sort of journalist [who] … wrote a book about a Third Force’ (p. 167-8). Fowler claims he is to blame for all the damage that is being done in Vietnam. Find the passages that refer to York Harding and/or his work and write a document that he could have written outlining his position on Vietnam.

Frequently business seems to be done over a game of Quatre Cent Vingt-et-un, a game of chance. To what extent are luck and gambling uses symbolically by Greene, and for what purpose? How is the image of “throwing the dice” a recognisable literary device?

Essay Topics

“Was I so different from Pyle, I wondered? Must I too have my foot thrust in the mess of life before I saw the pain?” (p. 185-6)

Is Fowler right to believe that there is little to separate himself and Pyle?

Fowler tells himself he is innocent as he waits to identify Pyle’s body. But is he?

Pyle wants to save the world; Fowler only wants to save himself.Discuss.

Fowler prides himself on his disengagement, yet he is not the only one who attempts to ‘turn a blind eye’ to what is going on around him.To what extent is this an accurate assessment of the characters in The Quiet American?

“Greene stresses the danger of innocence in a complex and difficult society like Vietnam.”

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How is this idea explored in The Quiet American?

Despite Phuong’s fondness for Fowler, she leaves him for Pyle. Is pragmatism not loyalty the way to guarantee survival in our world?

“The choice between the greater and the lesser evil is all that is available to us in an imperfect world”. To what extent is this demonstrated in Graham Greene’s novel The Quiet American?

“Neutrality might seem to be acceptable, but in the end a moral person must become involved.”How does Graham Greene explore this idea in The Quiet American?

“A man becomes trustworthy when you trust him.”To what extent do Pyle’s words prove to be true in The Quiet American?

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Section 8. ReferencesAdamson, Judith (1990). Graham Greene: The Dangerous Edge, Where Art and Politics Meet. The Macmillan Press Ltd.Drabble, Margaret (ed) (1985). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford University Press.Erdinast-Vulcan, Daphna (1988). Graham Greene’s Childless Fathers. The Macmillan Press Ltd.Shelden, Michael (1994). Graham Greene: The Man Within. William Heinemann Ltd.Sherry, Norman (1994). The Life of Graham Greene, Vol. II, 1939-1955. Random House, UK.

Interesting Internet Sites

http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9911/opinion/royal.htmlThis site contains a short essay by Robert Royal that is subtitled “The (Mis)guided Dreams of Graham Greene”. It has a particular religious slant and, like other critics, questions the literary excellence of Greene’s writing.

http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/20/specials/greene-quiet.htmlThis site contains a review of The Quiet American written for The New York Times in 1956 by Robert Gorham Davis. It is titled, ‘In Our Times, No Man is a Neutral’ and the author, whilst beginning with some flattering comments about the calibre of Greene’s writing, soon moves to an exploration of his lack of neutrality. The accusation of hypocrisy levelled by others here links Greene most closely with his character, Thomas Fowler through the words of John Donne.

http://www.literarytraveler.com/special/greene.htmUnlike the previous two sites, this one focuses on The Quiet American as travelogue. Some of the claims seem quite extravagant, but could provide interesting points of discussion within the class.

http://members.tripod.com/~greeneland/The Greeneland sites often provide a variety of material from biography to criticism. http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-et-turan22nov22,0,6223422.story?coll=cl-movies-featuresThis site contains reviews of the latest film adaptation of The Quiet American.

http://www.ichiban1.org/html/film.htmA comprehensive list of films dealing with Vietnam and the part played by America in the war.

http://pilger.carlton.com/vietnam/filmJournalist, John Pilger’s site contains a series of video clips (provided one has the software to open them) and a range of his writings on Vietnam.

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Section 9. Appendix

Timeline of Vietnamese History15th Century After centuries of Chinese control, Vietnam (known as

Dai Viet) regains her independence although peace is not completely restored between the north and the south of the country for at least another century.

18th and early 19th Centuries

The Nguyen dynasty is overthrown by the Tay Son, but they are defeated in the early years of the 19th century and the north and south parts of the country are united under the name, Vietnam.

1861 The French had helped the new emperor, Nguyen Anh defeat the Tay Son and in return had hoped for some trading and missionary privileges in the united country. However, the new emperor was unwilling to give these and so the French entered upon a forceful occupation, seizing Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and establishing a colonial government in Vietnam.

1940 At the beginning of World War Two, Japan gained permission from the French to assume effective control of French Indochina. The communist forces, the Vietminh began to build their forces to take over the country when the war ended.

1945 When Japan surrendered to the Allies, the Vietminh declared an independent republic with its headquarters in Hanoi and under the Communist leadership of Ho Chi Minh. The French were unenthusiastic about such a situation and forced the communist forces from the south of the country.

1946 Despite attempts to negotiate a settlement between the two parties, no solution could be found, and the French embarked on a war (The First Indo-Chinese War), which continued until 1954.

1954 The Communist-led Vietminh defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Vietnam was divided into two nations. Ho Chi Minh became president of North Vietnam, and Bao Dai became the leader of South Vietnam

1957 Backed by North Vietnam, Communist guerrillas called the Vietcong began to rebel against the South Vietnamese government.

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1965 United States forces landed at Da Nang and began fighting in Vietnam.

1973 The United States ended its military involvement in the Vietnam War.

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