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Paradise Of The Blind

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In Paradise of the Blind by Dương Thu Hương, the first person narrative point of view is essential in contributing to the intimate feel of the of the novel, thus revealing Hang’s open, vulnerability. The narrative throughout the entirety of the novel is through the perspective of Hang as she recollects various memories about her childhood and family history. The novel begins with Hang on a train as she is traveling to visit her uncle Chihn. Within this narrative, Hang’s memories are framed as she switches back and forth between stories throughout the novel. This revolving of stories mimics a human’s natural train of thought in the way that it is like she is lost in thought and then regains consciousness to the present for a short while. This narrative technique makes the first person point of view more realistic with its sporadic pace, just as the brain has sporadic thoughts. As Hang is at the train station, her train of thought can be seen when …show more content…

While she is on the train, she cannot help herself but to be lost in her thoughts. She thinks to herself, “‘Don’t think so much…’ I mumbled to myself. ‘Forget these complexes. Don’t complicate life. Don't be so ridiculous,’ I continued, punishing myself with these thoughts. My cheeks burned and the hatred I felt for my uncle rose in me. I quickly boarded the train, nestled myself in a corner of the compartment, and closed my eyes” (Duong 16). The internal struggle is revealed in this passage as Hang has to repeat over and over to herself to stop thinking. At the end of the passage, she closes her eyes which is when the frame switches to the side story of her family history. By closing her eyes, she gives into her racing thoughts, but it also symbolizes Hang’s entire life in the way that she fights conforming to the societal pressures but always ends up giving

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