In the novel Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong, the changes in governmental, cultural and social factors in Vietnam under the implementation of communism are illustrated by the use of symbols, such as sticky rice. At the beginning of the novel, Vietnam is consumed by cultural values ​​and strong family structures, but these values ​​and families are quickly destroyed as communism takes control of the country. This example is illustrated throughout the novel by comparing sticky rice to communism, cultural values, and family structure. This is why Huong uses the preparation of sticky rice as an analogy for the operation of a communist governmental system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe example of preparing glutinous rice is used to illustrate the difficulties of implementing communism. In the novel, Aunt Tam was preparing sticky rice for a party and said, "It's not easy to make sticky rice with pink apple" (Huong 150). This excerpt explicitly demonstrates the idea that preparing glutinous rice is difficult, which is representative of the difficulties that arise from the implementation of communism. Although preparing sticky rice can be a difficult undertaking, the taste of "sticky rice flavored with apple and rose juice...is exquisite" (150). This part of the text illustrates the idea that the idea of ​​apple and rose sticky rice sounds great, but the difficulty of preparing such a delicate dish is much greater, which relates to the idea of ​​establishing a communist system of government. In theory, communism is an efficient and effective system, but to succeed in reality with this system, the implementation of communism must be perfectly executed. Implementing this system is difficult because since the communist system advocates a sense of equality and collectivism, every person must be treated the same, which is difficult to achieve. This concept is also supported by the fact that “once the rice is cleaned, it should be dried with a towel, grain by grain if necessary” (150). Drying each grain of rice separately is a tedious task and illustrates the complications that arise from efforts to create a society based on equality. Each grain of rice is a representation of an individual in Vietnam, while the pink apple sticky rice dish as a whole represents the country of Vietnam. In Vietnam, the population is too large for communist leaders and officials to ensure that each individual receives the same amount of a certain resource necessary for survival, which immediately diminishes the idea of ​​collectivism, while reinforcing the concept of individualism. The provision of resources, which were to be distributed equally throughout the country, was described during the era of land reforms. When the government took power, it wanted citizens to encourage the idea of ​​"'down with the owning classes'" (25). By breaking down the landowning classes, everyone would be essentially equal. The redistribution of land allowed everyone to receive an equal amount of resources, but when the land was returned to its original owners, during the Rectification of Errors, it "'resembled a neglected grave'" because " the agrarian reform had destroyed the village like a gust, devastating the fields and rice fields, sowing only chaos and misery” (77 & 33). These landowners had to rework the land to return it to its original state, which proved to be a particularly difficult task.difficult. For this reason, “each grain of rice was weighed like a pearl” (196). Since pearls are a symbol of wealth and scarcity, this excerpt illustrates the idea that rice was not easy to obtain after land redistribution. This illustrates the idea that inefficiencies accompanied by the ideologies of communism hindered society because the citizens who were given land to cultivate were not properly informed about the process of growing rice. Thus, during the process of creating a sense of equality, the communist system hindered society. Therefore, the preparation of glutinous rice is used to represent the result of a flawed communist system. The steam created when preparing sticky rice is a symbol of information. When cooking rice, even if there is “'the slightest excess of steam, the rice loses all its flavor'” (150). This quote is a representation of a failed communist system. The fact that the rice lost “all its flavor” illustrates the inefficiency of the system, due to poor implementation and the impossibility of creating a feeling of perfect equality. The presence of excess steam, which destroys the rice, illustrates the result of the corruption that dominates the communist governmental system, causing its failure. This corruption is highlighted when Hang visits Uncle Chinh, a Communist Party official who claims to be ill, she realizes that he only needs her help to "pack his trunks of imported goods" which will be sold on the black market (219). ). The fact that Chinh and other Communist Party members use their official visits to Russia to make money trading luxury goods on the black market illustrates the hidden abuse of power within this government system. The hypocrisy of this situation becomes evident as Chinh harasses his colleagues. , telling them that they “must behave in an absolutely exemplary manner while they are in this brother country” (171). This is a hypocritical statement because, even though he reminds his colleagues of their ways, he uses public funds to participate in the black market. This facade of nobility and trustworthiness deceives the public and further fuels their corrupt nature. Additionally, the fact that Chinh manipulates Hang into visiting him to work for him leads to the idea that the steam also symbolizes the amount of information provided to the public by the communist leaders. These leaders must disseminate the right amount of information in order to control the public. If the public is too informed, they might disagree and decide to overturn the system, illustrated by the idea that "'when you mix [rice] with apple and rose juice, the grains must not clump together. " (150). This excerpt demonstrates the concept that when the communist system of government is presented to the Vietnamese people, they should be wary of rebellious individuals who might create a united front to overthrow the system. Thus, excessive corruption and excessive dissemination of information would cause communism to lose its effectiveness and structure, just as excess steam would cause rice to lose its flavor and consistency. The symbol of sticky rice is used to represent Vietnamese culture and family structure during. the implementation of communism. When preparing sticky rice, even “at the slightest excess of steam, the rice loses all its flavor”” (150). family structure under the rule of communism During this period, the Vietnamese people were unable to maintain their culture and traditions due to their preoccupation with surviving the harsh conditions that were now present due to the repercussions...