A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain Analysis

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A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler is a collection of short stories, beginning with the story “Open Arms”. In the first story, we follow the internal struggle of the narrator who is grappling with his morality. Because it is written in first person, the emotions of the narrator contribute to the characterization of himself and Thap. This deepens the contrast between the two characters. Once this contrast is established, we notice that Thap and the narrator are symbolic of their respective cultures. While the narrator is from vietnam, he has assimilated into the western culture that he is surrounded by. The narrator admits he is “not that good a buddhist” and says “things just don't look the way my mother and grandmother explained to me”. Throughout the story he also talks about his fondness of the australian camp and certain things that are “easily available in america”. This sets up the connection …show more content…
All we know about Thap is told from the point of view of the narrator. When describing Thap, Butler uses harsh names like “communist prude”. These words have an obvious negative connotation that hint at the narrator’s distaste. The narrator has just met Thap and all he knows is what he’s read in Thap’s file, but the narrator quickly assumes he is a rigid communist. The narrator goes on about how “communists [are] full of right views, right intentions, right speech, and all that”. Butler uses long sentences and repetition to show the narrator’s aversion. Because the narrator’s descriptions of Thap are so extreme, it polarizes the purity and values of the narrator and thap. Since the reader learns about Thap through the eyes of the narrator, this severely moral and righteous communist is what Thap becomes. Once this is established, Thap is now the overall example of vietnamese culture in the