• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.39-46
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• 2020

Graham Greene's The Quiet American is a war novel set in Vietnam. Thus, although war-related political stories are mainly unfolded, this novel presumes that Westerners are basically superior to the colored Vietnamese. In addition to racial issues, it describes the dual discrimination and inequality that women face. Phung, a Vietnamese woman who wishes to live a rich and comfortable life through marriage to a Western man, is a gender underdog oppressed by the capital and males. She is discriminated against by selfish views created by men, such as being expressed as an ignorant woman who can feel physical pain but not mental pain and being described as a partner to satisfy men's pleasure. Fowler and Pyle, the male lead characters who are gender strong, treat the Asian woman as a low-status person who is qualitatively different from Westerner and use and exploit the woman simply to satisfy their selfish needs. Therefore, it is hard to say that this story involves true love, as it is based on an unequal relationship. Eventually, Pyle's death brings Phung back to Fowler, confirming that Asian women are unable to escape from the gender underdog of Western men.