Paradise of the Blind: Stylistic Element

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The novel Paradise of the Blind, written by Duong Thu Huong, uses contrasting settings to explain the different phrases of Hang’s life. The author’s use of the contrasting settings helps to effectively drive the story forward. As a young adult Hang has to move from her life in an overbearing family in Vietnam, a family who always gave away as much as they could, to Russia, a heavily communist country, so that she can be able to financially support herself. While aboard a train remarking about her life, Hang recalls her first winter in Russia. “The bitter cold that singed my ears, crept into my gloves, tightened around my body like a vise”. She then recounts about how she had to scrutinize her diet, “our evening meal was like a benediction.” (226). Hang now lives a life like her mother has, in the sense of making every dollar count and eating only what was necessary to live. The rest of what she earned went to family. Huong made sure not to show any light or brightness coming from Russia, but rather darkness that could dampen any soul that entered. Hang’s home in Vietnam was no better, with people remarking: “All power is dictatorship. It must be exercised without weakness. The state needs obedience to its authority and its law.” (154) The people of the land were never allowed to question the law in fear that they might lose their land. Huong therefore makes sure the reader knows of the bitterly difficult times the Vietnamese were dealing with, from poverty, to the struggle of acquiring enough to get by, to making sure they had a roof over their head. Yet from these struggles came the beauty of land. Food became a powerful form of expression in the more rural towns, quoting, “A morsel of food is like a morsel of shame.” It reflected how they shared beliefs in giving and receiving food, with it being considered a much more lavish gift if given to a member outside

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