The Quiet American (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Graham Greene
- First Published: 1955
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Tragedy
- Time of Work: The mid-1950’s
- Setting: Vietnam
- Genres: Long fiction, Existential literature, Political fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, Journalism or journalists, Murder or homicide, War, Death or dying, Assassination, Mysteries, Terrorism or terrorists, Espionage or spies, Intelligence service, Vietnam or Vietnamese people
- Locales: Saigon, Vietnam
Characters Discussed
Thomas Fowler, the narrator, a British war correspondent based in Saigon during the French-Vietnamese conflict. Middle-aged, jaded, and cynical, he takes pride in his detachment—both from the war and from life—always stressing his role as a reporter, an observer of facts, a man without opinions. Beneath his cool façade, however, he loves Vietnam and its people. Unlike other Western correspondents, he thinks of Saigon as his permanent home. As the story opens, he has lost his Vietnamese mistress of two years, Phuong, to Pyle, the “quiet American.”...
[The entire page is 791 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
