The Refugees

“Black-Eyed Women” is the only overtly supernatural tale in The Refugees. The main character is literally haunted by the ghost of her brother, but she is also figuratively haunted by her trauma from her experience as a boat person. What other characters in The Refugees are haunted in such a way? How does trauma inform their character development?

In his essay “On Being a Refugee, an American—And a Human Being,” Nguyen writes, “I came to un­der­stand that in the United States, land of the fa­bled Amer­i­can dream, it is un-Amer­i­can to be a ref­u­gee” (145). How is this realization reflected in the stories in this collection? To what extent are the refugees in this collection viewed as “un-American” by characters within the stories? How does The Refugees refute this idea?

Carver in “The Americans” and Mr. P in “Someone Else Besides You” are the two most prominent Vietnam War veterans in The Refugees. How do their experiences in the war inform their characters? How do they impact their relationship with their children?

Several of the major characters in The Refugees are experiencing the effects of old age for the first time (Professor and Mrs. Khanh, Carver, and Mr. P). Reflect on this theme. How do these characters cope (or fail to cope) with aging? How does it inform their relationship with their adult children?

Many of the stories in The Refugees involve intergenerational conflict between migrant parents and their Generation 1.5- or second-generation children. Pick two of the stories in this collection and analyze this conflict. What does it reveal about Vietnamese and American culture?

In “Fatherland,” Vivien is used as a foil to Phuong: Vivien, at first, represents Phuong’s potential were she able to leave Vietnam for America. What does Vivien’s role in the story teach Phuong about being an immigrant in America? Is there a lesson in her sister’s experience that Phuong misses?

“The Americans” and “Fatherland” are the only stories in The Refugees set in Vietnam. How does Nguyen use this setting as a critical lens for analyzing American culture, attitudes, and social norms? How does it reflect on the way that people assimilate (or fail to assimilate) into American society?

In an opinion piece in the New York Times, Nguyen expressed the opinion that the war never ended for those affected by it. To what extent is this idea expressed in the stories in The Refugees? For what characters is the Vietnam War the most present, and why?