Gain and Loss in the “Birds of Paradise Lost” Essay

Andrew Lam’s book Birds of Paradise Lost is dedicated to the topic of immigration. The author explores the issue talking from his personal experience of a Vietnamese man living in the United States. He also refers to the experience of his many compatriots who left their homeland in search of a better life in America. In his book, Andrew Lam reflects on the profound impact that immigration has on people’s lives and their relations with the country they left behind and with the new home they have found. In my view, one of the main themes that can be traced in the three stories from Birds of Paradise Lost is the motif of gain and loss, that while Vietnamese people lost their homeland, there is something precious they will obtain.

The story by the same name as the book, Birds of Paradise Lost, tells the readers about the friendship of old men and the aftermath of the suicide of one member of the group. The man killed himself to protest against the regime of the Communist party in Vietnam and to draw attention to the suffering that it brought to the country and its people. After his shocking suicide, his friends grieve over their loss but at the same time, they praise his courage and his willingness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of the greater cause. They even become inspired by his heroic act and one of them even considers following his friend‘s way: “Don’t be surprised if I follow your footsteps. We’ll show the Americans, not to mention the younger generation, what old men are capable of” (Lam 104). Another aspect of this story is the conflict between fathers and sons and the differences of the views in generations. The main character, Thang, argues with his son about the means of political struggle which Vietnamese Americans should take to help their homeland. Thang’s son, who represents the young generation, is skeptical of the father’s combative spirit and determination. The conflict of beliefs between father and son results in a big fight and the father walks off questioning his beliefs and whether he is devoted to his homeland enough to sacrifice his life: „Where should love for country end and where should common sense begin?“ (Lam 109). He later realizes that he cannot know for sure whether his death in America and his activism can help people in Vietnam. To conclude, the main character lost his friends and some of his ideals, but at the same time, he gained a different perspective on his relations with his son, with America, and with his homeland.

Show and Tell is the story of Kal, a Vietnamese refugee boy who becomes the object of mockery in the new American school. The boys pick on him asking offensive questions: “I hear they eat dogs there. Have you eaten a dog?” (Lam 27), or “Did you see anybody got killed?” (Lam 27). Kal and his family fled Vietnam and now a little boy has to adjust to a new unfriendly environment. Kal finds a friend, Robert, who at first was assigned to Kal as a patron by the teacher, but later two boys develop sincere friendship and understanding. Their friendship overcomes the language barrier and the two outcasts find support in each other. Unable to speak English, Kal expresses himself through drawings, and in the final climactic scene, he draws the story of his life: how the war came, how he lost his father, and how he found a new home in America. His new friend Robert becomes Kal’s voice. The message of Show and Tell is that even in a harsh and unfriendly environment it is possible to find friends.

In the third novel, Hunger, the author tells us the story of Mr. Nguen. He is another refugee escaping the calamities brought by the Communist regime. Mr. Nguen left Vietnam with his wife and daughter, but, as the readers later find out, the wife became a victim of the other refugees who turned insane because of starvation during their journey by boat. Mr. Nguen is lonely and depressed, he says that his life is full of “death and horror” (Lam 81). Unlike his successful cousin Eddie, he earns his living by begging. Mr. Nguen is unable to fit in the American society, he states that for him “American dream is only a nightmare” (Lam 82). He cannot communicate with the people around him and he hardly makes enough money to support his little daughter. In these grim circumstances, Mr. Nguen becomes friends with the lady living nearby, Kathy Lee. She saw the television program in which Mr. Nguen talked about the horrors that he and his daughter endured on the boat and now is interested in his story. Later the two of them become good friends and help each other overcome their loneliness. Hunger is the story of tragic loss and how it can be healed through friendship, acceptance, and support.

To conclude, the three stories from Birds of Paradise Lost deal with the subject of gain and loss. Forced to leave their homeland, Vietnamese immigrants seek a better future for themselves and their loved ones overseas. They lost their country, but gradually and painfully they find a place to call home in America. In Birds of Paradise Lost, Andrew Lam depicted the difficulties of the life of the immigrants, their losses, and their sufferings in a strange land. But at the same time, he succeeded to show the bright side of immigration.

Works Cited

Lam, Andrew. Birds of Paradise Lost. Pasadena: Red Hen Press, 2013. Print.