Theme of The Tale of Kieu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theme of The Tale of Kieu - Essay Example The fortune teller hints at fate by saying "Perhaps  you must atone for some past sin" (91).   In his description of the characters and scenes, Nguyen uses elements of nature such as animals and physical features such as the moon. Tu Hai, the general, is said to have had â€Å"a tiger’s beard, a swallows jaw, and brows as thick as silkworms† (113) obviously Nguyen and the Vietnamese attribute some attributes of physical attractiveness to nature in this case each outstanding physical trait has an animal comparison. Nguyen’s level of appeal is brought out even more now that he posses the best attribute of each of the animals and not just being compared strictly to one animal. However my focus shall be on the moon as an object of imagery as it is the most mentioned in the whole text. The first obvious representation is beauty. The van sisters are described as beautiful. Van, Kieu’s sister is described as â€Å"her face a moon, her eyebrows two full curves.† As the plot unfolds further Kieu’s great beauty is emphasized even more. It is said that men found her to be so beautiful. â€Å"She ought to rule the moon† this was kieu being compared to the moon goddess Chang-O, for one to be the ruler of something as breathtaking as the moon; you surely have to be an epitome of beauty. The cycle of life is another representation of the moon. In those fifteen years Kieu went through many experiences. Some were good others not so good. In comparison the moon has a cycle. In that cycle there are bright days and dull days. In the same way the cycle of the moon causes low and high tides could be seen as a reflection of the highs and lows of Kieu’ life. Looking at the last bit of the oppressive 15 years, after running away from the convent, Kieu finds herself in a brothel (low tide), she was rescued by Tu Hai (high tide), Tu Hai dies (low tide). The rest of the story all through the poem basically unfolds in an identical