Postcolonial Hybridity, Double Consciousness, and Counter-Memory in Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer

Abstract

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (2015) became a milestone of novel literature to question the mainstream suppositions of the Vietnam War and enact the dysfunctional identity of refugees. Scholarship has tended to study hybridity, or the dual consciousness or counter-memory, individually rather than focusing on how the two frameworks intersect, despite much critical attention. This paper fills that gap by exploring how Nguyen incorporates this three-dimensional approach, building a fractured and resistant postcolonial identity. Basing the research on a qualitative textual approach, which is based on postcolonial literary criticism, the author employs the theories of hybridity, the concept of double consciousness, and the counter-memory in close readings of the significant passages in the novel. This discussion makes it evident that hybridity is reflected in the divided lineage and shifting loyalty of the narrator; the concept of a dual consciousness is reflected in his divided self-perception as viewed by more than one gaze; and counter-memory is manifested in his confession, satire, and critique of American cultural memory. In combination, these results indicate that The Sympathizer develops an intricate paradigm of postcolonial subjectivity that subverts the East/West dichotomies and rediscovers the oppressed refugee and history. The paper adds to the postcolonial and diaspora literature by providing a comprehensive framework that illuminates the interdependence of identity and memory in diasporic literature.