‘The Gangster We are all Looking For’ by Le Thi Diem Thuy (Essay Sample)

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‘The Gangster We are all Looking For’ by Le Thi Diem Thuy
B. “ The bag of ice slipped in my arms. I leaned down to catch it and as I pulled it closer to me, I thought I felt my brother’s breath upon me. This was not the warmth I’d felt earlier, but a chill now at the center of my spine. The feeling was so confusing and frightening, I ran.” (Page 75)1. Why does the narrator feel her brother’s presence at this moment? Why doesn’t she fully mourn or even acknowledge his loss before this incident?
The narrator had spent much of her life, along with her father seeking refugee from Vietnam. The girl, similar to the family and other companion had been through intense emotional trauma. The girl was still experiencing these traumas. Further, she was too young to fully comprehend the death of her brother. Instead, she felt that the brother was left behind in Vietnam. In the given quote, the girl has begun to comprehend and process some of the traumas from the war experiences. She does not fully mourn or acknowledge the loss of her brother before because her age and traumatic experiences hinder her ability to process the loss. 2. How does the narrator’s tendency to become her lost brother affect her gender identify? NB: Gender identify is the sense of being a man or a woman or non-binary. A strong answer will quote a scene to back up your point.
She accepts her gender identity as a woman but challenges the need to conform to gender roles. When she feels lonely, she remembers her brother and uses her father’s persona to cope with the brother’s loss. Often, she gets lost into her imagination and emulates her father as a coping mechanism. As she grows older, she resolves to running away from home. Perhaps she found her brother’s position better than hers and decided to pursue the freedom that would allow her to explore her abilities. The author states that, ‘it was not the warmth I’d felt earlier, but a chill now at the center of my spine. The feeling was so confusing and frightening, I ran’ (75). The author brings out the different personalities she assumes to fit into the brother’s persona. At times, she fi8nds comfort in the brother’s identity but sometimes, she is compelled to run.
D. “I walked the three long blocks down Orange to Euclid. The liquor store was on the corner. The screen door was closed and the store looked dark. I stepped into the cool and quiet inside. There was a tall man with thick hair standing behind the counter. He had a newspaper open across the counter and was leaning over it, reading. As I walked by him, he looked up and said, “Hi, there.” I turned my head toward him and said, “Hi, there,” in the same tone of voice. Then I laughed to myself, thinking, You bird. You parrot. You Polly. I mouthed the words Polly, Polly, Polly, as I walked between the tall shelves of bottles, making my way slowly toward the freezers at the back of the store.” (Page 72) 1. This passage features a newspaper and is about literacy. What does this excerpt indicate about the narrator’s complicated attitude toward learning English and becoming Americanized?
Learning the English language is the most important element of the Americanization process. The girl needs to learn the language first so she can fit with ease into the system. However, the girl, similar to other war victims find it challenging to simply accept a language. In a way, learning the language symbolizes that one is giving up their identity. The implication is equally positive and negative. The narrator struggles to let go of her identity as a Vietnamese living in America. However, she is happy that she can understand the language and maneuver through the city with ease. As sh