Catfish and Mandala IV Catfish and Mandala: Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 645 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 2

Catfish and Mandala IV

Catfish and Mandala: the Purpose of a Journey

There are many themes and issues Andrew X Pham discusses in his novel Catfish and Mandala. In the novel, he takes a journey across the Pacific coast of the United States, later traveling to Japan, Vietnam, and returns home at the end. Throughout the journey, Pham in his story alternates between the past and the present, finding links between the two, and tells a coherent story. One of the interesting questions that come to mind while reading Pham's story is: why does he take the journey and what does he really learn? His story suggests that the event that prompted him to take the journey is the death of his elder sister/brother Chi. Through the journey, Pham wants to understand his dual identity and the inner feelings of Chi.

There are numerous passages that illustrate this purpose. Earlier in the book, Pham says: "I haven't been able to answer the one question that remained framed in my mind from the day she left: How did America treat Chi, one vulnerable yellow in a sea of white races?" (p. 33). It is clear from this passage that in Pham's opinion Chi committed a suicide not because she could not reconcile a sex change but the culture change and the crisis of identity.

Stuck Writing Your "Catfish and Mandala IV Catfish and Mandala:" Essay?

View All Our Example Catfish and Mandala IV Catfish and Mandala: Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

In another passage, Pham says: "I went for my sister Chi. I wept for myself. I wept for the disparity between my world and the world of these people. And I wept for my sorry soul" (p. 110). Pham is explaining here that his experience of living in the United States as a Vietnamese immigrant and his struggles to find his place in a new place are identical to Chi's. So, he embarks on a journey to find a way to an understanding: an understanding of Chi's life and an understanding of what or who he really wants to….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Catfish And Mandala IV Catfish And Mandala " (2011, December 10) Retrieved June 5, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/catfish-mandala-iv-catfish-mandala-53307

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Catfish And Mandala IV Catfish And Mandala " 10 December 2011. Web.5 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/catfish-mandala-iv-catfish-mandala-53307>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Catfish And Mandala IV Catfish And Mandala ", 10 December 2011, Accessed.5 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/catfish-mandala-iv-catfish-mandala-53307
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example