logo

38 pages 1 hour read

Novel Without a Name

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1991

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Pages 153-167Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Pages 153-167 Summary

Quan leaves his village and boards a train to Thanh Hoa, where he secures a seat, thinking, “a train seat in wartime, like a bowl of rice in the time of famine” (154). A train attendant ousts the two young men across from Quan from their seats in order to give seats to two Party members. For rest of the train ride, Quan listens to the conversation of the Party members, who represent everything Quan (and by extension the author) dislikes about the Party: hypocrisy, manipulation, and corruption. Towards the end of the train ride, a young soldier attempts to call out the Party members for insulting Marx. In response, the Party members exercise their power, shaming the younger man into silence.  

Pages 153-167 Analysis

In these pages, Huong provides her most damning depiction of the Communist Party in Vietnam. Everyone on the train fears the Party members: “They sat like masters in the middle of the crowd […] Everyone [around them] was stiff, frozen, paralyzed” (158). Over the course of this section, the shorter of the two Party men explains to the taller man how one can use the Party to his advantage, and why pragmatism makes more sense than idealism.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 38 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,600+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools