The Happiest Refugee Analysis

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Pages: 3

Immigrant families tend to stick together, as they are pretty much guaranteed to speak the same language and have the same customs, which provides a bastion of familiarity in a new land. They will connect with other families from the same areas, and often they will sort of merge into an unofficial extended family that works to support each other. The Happiest Refugee shows this phenomenon, and it spends the entire book with it being a major factor in Anh’s story.

Anh’s parents were willing to go to great lengths in order to protect their family, with the dangerous escape from Vietnam, the encounters with pirates, and the supply issues that almost killed the boat’s passengers before they were found by the German merchant ship. The family stuck
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This wound up causing some conflicting feelings in Anh. While he was happy to see his father being his usual self, he still felt a distinct sense of betrayal, as he had abandoned the family during a hard time and had now somewhat replaced them. Forgiveness came after a while, and the two found themselves working together in Anh’s fledgling comedy career, acting as a sort of roadie and moral support. He worked very hard to compensate for his previous failings, and after it was noticed that his speech was becoming slurred even without being drunk he was found to have a brain tumour, which he was able to beat back.

When Anh’s proper career started with acting and comedy, his family was extremely supportive. Every single time he was on some TV show or another, he’d get constant well-wishes and gained quite a lot of recognition from the rest of the country. Now, Anh has his own children. They are, suffice to say, adorable, and he cares for them just the same as his parents cared for him. The tradition of family is ongoing, and The Happiest Refugee shows just how a family should be: loving, caring, and