The leader of the remaining armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam. He is a slim man with “a familiar, avuncular smile.” His face is “angular, gaunt, and almost handsome.” The narrator perceives him as having the classic nobility of “a scholar or mandarin.” His hair is gray, but not white, and thinning a bit on top. He has a “neatly sculpted” goatee. Like Ho Chi Minh, he asked to be called “uncle.” He dresses simply, in a black blouse and pants that match the wardrobe of his guerrillas. His quarters are sparsely furnished with reed mats, bamboo bookshelves, and a simple bamboo desk and chair. After the Americans left Vietnam, he allied with the Thai. He swore on a ship before his men that they would fight for decades, if necessary.
Get the entire The Sympathizer LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Admiral Character Timeline in The Sympathizer
The timeline below shows where the character The Admiral appears in The Sympathizer. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 17
...keys to their apartment to Reverend Ramon and told him to sell everything. Claude and the admiral in charge of the base camp will handle their needs. It’s Claude, too, who greets...
(full context)
...more like Viet Cong. One of the guerillas leads them to a hut to meet the admiral , who looks no different from his soldiers. Like Ho Chi Minh, he calls himself...
(full context)
The admiral talks about how, after the Americans had abandoned the South Vietnamese, he appealed to his...
(full context)
Chapter 18
...of their route through southern Laos. They also listen to Radio Free Vietnam, which airs the admiral ’s speeches, along with James Taylor and Donna Summer songs. When the narrator says goodbye...
(full context)
