Communism In Graham Greene's The Quiet American

After World War II, the Soviet Union gained East Germany from the Treaty of Versailles, allowing communism to spread to other countries and creating the Iron Curtain. The expanding influence of communism became a threat to the United States and their values during the Cold War, when Vietnam became a proxy war to contain communism in the First Indochina War. Fowler, a non-intervening British reporter living in Vietnam, meets Pyle of the Economic Attache, representing the United States to aid French in the First Indochina War to preserve Western values in the novel The Quiet American by Graham Greene. However Pyle’s arrogance in intervening Vietnam makes Fowler think negatively of his ideal. Fowler’s interpretation of conflicts in Vietnam as …show more content…
The National Security Council, who served President Truman at the time in fear of the Domino Theory, issued NSC-68 after the Chinese Civil War loss, revealed top secrets about invading Soviets and stated “A more rapid build-up of political, economic, and military strength and thereby of confidence in the free world than is now contemplated is the only course which is consistent with progress toward achieving our fundamental purpose”(NSC-68). The National Security Council is a trustworthy source to inform the president and the United States government of the invasion of communism, and what actions to take to protect their citizens and values. However, this build-up of power actually grew tensions between America and other parts of the world. For example, Pyle’s intervention in South Vietnam results in a distressful circumstance when using his plastic to make detonating bombs to help General Thé bring democracy to South Vietnam, which prompts Fowler to express his anger, “You’ve got the Third Force and the National Democracy all over your right shoe. Go home to Phuong and tell her about your heroic deed - there are a dozen less of her people to worry about” (Greene 154). Fowler’s rage over Pyle’s arrogance of partaking in a deadly event is an allusion to the United States, who on the …show more content…
Therefore, it is Fowler’s, not Pyle’s, interpretation of the situations more justified in Greene’s novel of The Quiet American. From Fowler’s view point, the intervention of the United States, which leads to the suffering of the Vietnamese in the fight to contain communism, is not justified at all. The United States got involved in Vietnam War since 1955 without full knowledge of the Vietnamese, adopting undemocratic and uncivilized ways to contain communism to preserve democracy. This self-important thought, on the contrary, resulted in more harm than improvement. South Vietnam was especially impacted since the majority of people were naive peasants who just wanted peace in their country rather than the French colonialism. Besides, the arrogance of the United States brought about various unnecessary actions against communism during the entirety of the Cold War, creating undesired trouble and unwanted damage to the intervened countries when the timing to cultivate American values was not there