The Quiet American Group

Question:

english12ng
english12ng
Student
High School - 12th Grade

Why does Greene begin with the death of Pyle in "The Quiet American"?

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Posted by english12ng on Tuesday December 16, 2008 at 2:10 PM and tagged with death of pyle, flashback, the quiet american.

Answers:

  1. parkerlee
    parkerlee Teacher

    eNotes Editor

    As this story is told in retrospect, the reader knows that the narration is related as an event in the past and that the crisis point (point of no return) is over. The narrative form is not so much a suspense story as the 'mea culpa' of Fowler, the "antihero." The reader's attention is diverted away from the events themselves and focused more upon the motivations and ultimate choices of the characters. This is no cliffhanger story but rather an psychological autopsy of a triangle love affair and of a friendship gone wrong.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/quiet-american-qn

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    Posted by parkerlee on Friday December 19, 2008 at 7:45 AM