The General Character Analysis

A prominent general in South Việt Nam’s army who is infamous worldwide for shooting a Việt Cộng member in a photo frequently referred to as “Saigon Execution.” In fact, he was shooting this man in retaliation for the man’s murder of an entire family, but this context is erased from popular narratives about the photo—especially in the United States, where it won awards and played an important part in ending public support for American involvement in the war. Later, the general moves to the United States and ends up working in a pizzeria, where the man who took the photo finds him and apologizes. Because of this misunderstanding surrounding the photo, Bố has sympathy for the general. However, Bố also has a personal hatred for him, because the general once tried to make him cut off his long hair, which he associated with “hippie[s].” However, Bố explained that he was a teacher and that his students would notice something wrong if he showed up without hair the next day, so the general let him go. Bố’s contradictory feelings about the general show Thi Bui that, because all sides in the Vietnam War were repressive and inhumane, it was next to impossible for most people (including her family members) to simply take sides and root for a straightforward resolution to the conflict.