Example Of Birds Of Paradise Lost Essay

Birds of Paradise Lost is surely one of the most moving and thought-provoking piece of literary work one can come across. Andrew Lam delves into the lives of the Vietnamese refugees to show the readers the daily struggle in their lives. As one reads through the book, it is not hard to point out that food is used in a recurring manner as a major form of power. Moreover, the short stories of the book encompass the themes of nostalgia as well as national identity. One of the best things about this book is that the stories exude humor as a good way of countering one’s problems in life. It becomes clear that the characters of the stories are in search of finding some sort of reconciliation after being left to live as refugees in a new land and culture. No doubt, these stories by Lam are too tragic in nature and they appeal to the readers with the emotional issues that loom over the lives of the main characters of the stories. The transformation in their lives has taken a toll on their identity and notion of happiness. There are stories like Show and Tell where this young lad cannot properly pronounce the language of the new land and is ridiculed. Again, Lover and Leather shows the protagonist getting confined in this sex shop to earn a living under the changed circumstance. Apart from showing the lonesome struggle, stories like Step Up and Whistle and Close to the Bone portray the struggle of this father during taking care of his daughter in the new milieu. I got stuck when I noticed there was hardly any happiness in the lives of the characters being in a new land. The author uses expressions like “air smells of fish sauce” to show the different culture of the new land. In Hunger, the term “resilient” is associated with food. Again, the expression, “shittiest food” in Yacht People portrays the difference of cultures. While I was reading, I started to think of the woes of the characters due to cultural shock. I figured out that all of the stories show how the characters struggle with their identity and existence in the new land. I finally understood that identity is closely linked to culture and a cultural shock might lead to issues with identity.