The Sympathizer Analysis

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Just as the nameless protagonist in Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer" confesses his life to the Commandant, so too will I. Unlike the nameless narrator, I am not being forced to write a confession for being a communist spy. I am, however, inspired to reflect on my life, my identity, and my Vietnamese culture through this confession just as the protagonist does throughout the novel. Through my experiences from childhood to where I am today, I have discovered the significance of what it means to be both American and Vietnamese. Both the protagonist and I share the struggle of feeling a sense of belonging to either description-- in his case French, American, and Vietnamese. Through my confession, I will navigate through the noisy streets of Saigon to the quiet neighborhood of Malden, MA and arrive at the answer to the question, "Who am I?"
My first real experience with my identity began when I was in elementary school. I was an average kid; I liked to play sports and watch TV everyday. I grew up in private schools in Brighton that were what you would typically expect—a strict dress code, mass every Friday, and authoritative teachers. In my …show more content…
Being Asian, I was bound to endure frequent bullying that did not help my sense of belonging. I was made fun of for having squinty eyes, having “yellow” skin, and for being different from the rest of the students who were mostly white. Even the two black kids in my class made fun of me even though we all share in our common struggle against racism. I was marginalized for being different although the only thing different about me was the way I looked. I felt like the “bastard” that the protagonist of the novel considered himself to be because of his impure blood. He was denied a sense of belonging because he was different as well. We both felt the sting of being

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