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Title of the Paper:
The Quiet American
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Fiction recapitulates the real-life incidents to put meaning behind the thoughts of the characters and allow the readers to form an opinion about the actions taken by characters in various circumstances. The novel The Quiet American deals with the historical events of the Vietnam War and the circumstances that follow the course of this major event. This essay discusses the theme of justice and how it influences the characters in the novel. Likewise, it also views the actions and choices of these characters against the Just and Unjust War Theory by Michael Walzer and the Theory of Justice by John Rawls.
The personality traits of Fowler make him a diplomatic person who does not believe in reading between the lines. Likewise, he is a journalist by profession but he cannot form an opinion about things and narrates things in a reporter like fashion. Similarly, he has an objective point of view about serious issues such as war and geopolitics. In the same manner, he possesses strong observation skills and due to the nature of his job, he witnesses the horrors of war but refrains from forming informed judgments. Quite on the contrary, Pyle is a highly observant man who stands for humanity and justice. Besides, he goes against his sense of nationalism and discourages the practice of mass destruction in Vietnam (Quiet Americans). He is also well aware of his moral and ethical responsibilities, he sides with the third party when both the states fail to restore peace and justice. Unlike Pyle who is a dreamer and a free thinker, Fowler is a realist who always tries to disengage with forming an opinion He knows the ground realities of War and geopolitics, unlike Pyle. In such a scenario, John Rawls and his theoretical ideas support the judgment of Pyle since Rawls's theory deals with the idea of raising voice for the less privileged class. Moreover, Rawls believes that virtues are integral in the formation of every good society because becoming deaf-mute to the issues of people is more of a criminal offense (Rawls' Theory of Justice: An Analysis). In this scenario, Fowler’s character appears as a selfish individual who is only interested in living his own life and staying aloof to the needs of people around him.
In Just and Unjust War theory, Michael Walzer describes the concept of war as a strategic measure to protect the sovereignty of the state. Similarly, he states that wars broke out in the past too when countries could not form a mutual agreement. He has used the term “War Convention” for strategic warfare practices. Besides, he does not view the number of human casualties from the humanitarian lens because, in his opinion, this is a normal practice in the situation of warfare. Likewise, he proclaims that countries possess the right to fight against a country when the other country is posing a serious threat to the liberties of a nation. If viewed in the context of The Quiet American, Walzer will approve the point of view of Fowler because he is a realist and views war as an aftermath of unsettles disputes. Moreover, Walzer states that everyone has a right to freedom and civil liberties unless they start to fight against the other country and declare war (Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (1977) | Hoover Institution n.d). Pyle’s philosophy of moral ethics directly clashes with the Just and Unjust War theory since it legitimizes the use and abuse of power on the other nation.
The war justice theory is given by Rawls draws upon the notion of humanity and the importance of peace as compared to the horrors of war because the latter encourages mass destruction and bloodshed. The idealistic nature of Pyle justifies this theoretical concept because one has to voice his opinions and exercise his civil rights.
Bibliography
“Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (1977) | Hoover Institution.” https://www.hoover.org/research/michael-walzer-just-and-unjust-wars-1977 (December 11, 2019).
“Quiet-American-The.Pdf.” https://rcwalton.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Quiet-American-The.pdf (December 11, 2019).
Dutta, Sampurnaa. 2017. “RAWLS’ THEORY OF JUSTICE: AN ANALYSIS.” IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science 22(4): 40–43.
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