Though the French wanted to reclaim their control of Vietnam in some part for access to important rubber plantations, many historians agree that they were mostly interested in reinstating themselves as a global power after their humiliating surrender to the Germans in 1940. How is this theme of repossession and revenge portrayed in the novel’s French characters? What about the Japanese and Vietnamese characters?

It seems the second time the French gained control, they became more brutal with the Vietnamese people. And with the Japanese they wanted to kill them. Overall it was a brutal and vicious time.

The theme of repossession and revenge in post-World War II Vietnam, particularly through the lens of the French, Japanese, and Vietnamese characters, is rich with historical and emotional complexity. Pham covers this well, depicting the struggles for control, national pride, conflicting loyalties and