Brother Quang Character Analysis

Brother Quang, Hà’s oldest brother, is a 21-year-old engineering student in Saigon. Since he began attending college, Brother Quang has gotten increasingly pretentious. He’s very proud of being South Vietnamese, so he initially opposes leaving the country, believing that it’s his and his family’s duty as South Vietnamese citizens to stay and help build the country they want to see. But ultimately, he agrees to flee with the rest of the family, though he continues to say things that suggests he’s ashamed of this choice. In Florida, the cowboy selects Brother Quang to sponsor and train as an auto mechanic, which results in the family moving to Alabama. As the only family member who speaks English, Brother Quang does a lot of translating and tries to teach Hà English. When Brother Quang finally begins work, he’s often angry, though Hà never understands exactly why. He becomes happier when he’s finally able to repair a car that nobody else could and receives a promotion at work. At the end of the novel, the cowboy gives Brother Quang tuition so he can resume his engineering education at a night college.