Nawinda

Malikhao

Section : 1205
14/10/16

!
The Trip Back

!
People only focus on where they are but forget where they came from. A short story The
Trip Back by Robert Olen Butler is a recognizable story of culture changes. The story illustrates
the conflict between traditional Vietnamese culture and the modern western American culture.
The setting of the story is in Lake Charles, Louisiana,America. The story tells about a
Vietnamese business man whose name is Khan and is married with Mai, a Vietnamese woman,
and have two children. One day Mai decided to take her grandfather,Chinh, to live with her
family. At the night before Chinh comes,Mai is crying quietly beside Khan,and he comforts her
by hugged her tightly.However, his mind is emotionless,he doesnt know how to act properly in
this situation. In the next day, Khan drives his car to pick his wifes grandfather up at the
airport.He is waiting for Chinh for a moment then Mais grandfather is arrived.
At first, he doesnt understand why Chinh has come with his cousin,but after Chinhs
cousin told him that Chinh suffers with an Alzheimer disease. Subsequently, he cant remember
anyone but his favorite thing that is cars and things he did when he was a young man.
Along the way home,Khan found himself uncomfortable to start a conversation with Chinh
because he doesnt get close to Chinh.

While Chin is looking out through the window, Khan starts the conversation and then he
talks about Mai. Surprisingly, Chinh cant remember Mai. Moreover, he thinks that Mai doesnt
exist. He thinks that he can only remember that his daughter,Chim, doesnt has a daughter and
his daughters husband was died in the South China Sea. Khan tries to revise Chinh memories,
but it doesnt work. After a while they are arrived at Khans home. Mai immediately walks out
with her children when she heard the car sound. She embraces her grandfather tightly with love.
Khan wants to give his wife a time to stay with her father so he walks out of that area. After Mai
finds out that Chinh cant remember her, she is crying beside her husband. Khan comforts her by
letting her sitting on his back and walk around then she smiles after that. From this trip to the
airport to pick Chinh up; Khan has learned more about his culture.

!
Butler are mainly focusing on people who leave their hometown and live in another
country.He writes the story as to warn those group of people to be aware of themselves. As the
first paragraph of the story talks about lesson Khan,the protagonist of the story, has learned and
realized about himself as a person who forget his own country. According to the time the story is
occurred is after the Vietnam war. Chinhs family has to leave their country as a refugee to
United America. Unfortunately,Chinh had to continue living in Vietnam because there is no seat
available for him ,so only his family can migrate to United States. From that event is appears in
the scene Mai,Khans wife, is crying before the day her husband will pick Her grandfather up
because she missed him because it has been 20 years that she lives separately from her
grandfather. Butler wants to implies that Asia people like extend family as Mai wants her
grandfather to stay with her. He also show Western peoples perspective by using Khan as a

symbol of Westen idea about extended family because in their culture, it is common to send their
grandparents or parents to the nursing house when they are old.

!
In the story, there are many points which represents the difference between two cultures
that are Americans and Vietnameses culture. The protagonist is a Vietnamese,but he left his
country to work in the United states for business. Because of that event,he forgets Vietnamese
culture which Butler is written in the story.
Normally,Asia peoples have an ideal type of extended family, living with their parents
and their grandparents, while Western culture act in different way that is live separately from
their families. Due to that mindset, it makes Western people doesnt like to stay in a big family.
As Western people are usually live separately from their family,thus it is common for elder to
live in nursing house. On the other hand, Asia people are very concern about this topic. It can be
clearly seen in the part of the story The Trip Back. Khan said that I found that I myself was
no longer comfortable with the old ways.Like extended family. (36) This part of the story
illustrates that the protagonist of the story,Khan, doesnt get used to his root convention because
he now lives in United States for long time,thus he feels uncomfortable to follow his nationality
tradition. This implies that he forgets the way his tradition works,extended family, and assumes
himself as American citizen.
Another example which shows different believe between these two cultures,Western and
Asian, is that Asian people believe in supernatural things while Western people doesnt believe in
this belief. They believe based on Scientific experiment and think that everything has evidence to
proof,but Asia people believe that something happen accidentally or surprisingly is

supernaturals power. In the story, it shows this kind of belief in the part that Khans thought
about himself versus his culture. It said that The Vietnamese indirectness,for instance. The
superstition. (36) This idea comes up as a consequent from Khans action, closing the cars
window automatically, which normally in Asia at that time they are rolling window down by
their force, so Chinh is pretty shock to the westerns car technology invention. This
demonstrates differences between two cultures.

!
In conclusion, Butler demonstrates the differences between Vietnamese culture and
Western culture by using the protagonist conversation and thought to show the difference. it is
common for elder to put them in the nursing house while Vietnam culture regularly live with
extend family. He clearly shows his perspective about a person who live their home and stay in
another country for business and for some reason. He differentiate Vietnamese culture as a
believer in supernatural things and concern about such kind of manner when talking to older
people which represents by Chinh while Khan represents Western people. Butler also gives some
moral thought to the reader to respect their culture.

!
!
!
!
!
Reference
The Trip Back ,(n.d),