Tet Analysis in Paradise of the Blind

Tet is a Vietnamese holiday celebrating the lunar New Year, as well as an occasion on which Vietnamese people pay their respects to their ancestors. Festivals and offerings for the holiday usually take place in the two weeks leading up to and immediately after the Lunar New Year. The occasion is marked by large meals with family members, decorating the altars or graves of ancestors, and gift-giving. In Paradise of the Blind, Hang recalls many Tet celebrations throughout her childhood.

Tet Quotes in Paradise of the Blind

The Paradise of the Blind quotes below are all either spoken by Tet or refer to Tet. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Traditional Values and Sacrifice Theme Icon

).

My mother was stunned and embarrassed. “l can’t accept all this. I’ve got enough to celebrate Tet already. This is too much. How could we eat it all?”

Aunt Tam replied coldly, “I’m not giving this food to you. This is my offering to my brother’s memory. It’s all for Hang. She can offer the food to her teachers, her friends, anyone she likes.”

Related Characters: Hang (speaker), Que (speaker), Aunt Tam (speaker), Uncle Chinh, Ton

Page Number and Citation: 98

Explanation and Analysis:

I knew she had been counting on Aunt Tam to offer me the Tet banquet. That suited her just fine, since it left her free to put her savings toward her brother’s family.

“It’s just splendid, our Tet. Thank your lucky star.” She kissed me. I couldn’t stand the indignity of it, and I turned away.

How could my mother accept this humiliation? Why did she lower herself in front of my uncle and his pockmarked wife, before their children? Why did she love people who enslaved her?

Related Characters: Hang (speaker), Que (speaker), Aunt Tam, Uncle Chinh, Thanh/Aunt Chinh, Tuan, Tu

Page Number and Citation: 126-127

Explanation and Analysis:

Tet Term Timeline in Paradise of the Blind

The timeline below shows where the term Tet appears in Paradise of the Blind. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...even to sit down. Aunt Tam offers them a spread of food that rivals a Tet feast: chicken, pâté, spring rolls, salads, and vegetable dishes. She raises a toast to Hang,... (full context)

Tet falls soon after this visit. Neighbor Vi makes a huge pot of che (sweet pudding)... (full context)

Winter passes, and Que says that she can buy a new roof after Tet comes. But one evening, Que returns home and says that Uncle Chinh is very sick.... (full context)

At home, Que laments that she hasn’t yet honored the household gods for Tet. Hang tries to console her, telling her that their Tet will be fine and they... (full context)

Communism, Hypocrisy, and Corruption Theme Icon

...requesting to speak to Uncle Chinh. He says that a workers’ delegation is visiting for Tet, and in their honor they are celebrating the poet Do Chieu. Uncle Chinh disagrees, believing... (full context)

A year passes, and Tet arrives once more. This year, Que once again exhausts her savings for Uncle Chinh’s Tet... (full context)

Beauty, Disillusionment, and Coming of Age Theme Icon

...to seize the land of the Madame Hai, who lost everything. One evening, right after Tet, Madame Hai snuck onto Mr. Duong’s property and attacked him with a hammer, killing him.... (full context)

Paradise of the Blind

Duong Thu Huong

Tet Term Analysis

Tet Quotes in Paradise of the Blind

Tet Term Timeline in Paradise of the Blind

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Tet Term Analysis

Tet Quotes in Paradise of the Blind

Tet Term Timeline in Paradise of the Blind

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