Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam

Pham lists both positive and negative encounters with several Vietnamese groups (or individuals) along his journey. Detail two positive encounters, two negative encounters, and explain how they impacted Pham’s concept of home. 

Pham’s father was the Province Director of Propaganda for Phan Thiet. What does this mean, and why does Pham connect this role and his father’s subsequent fate to the taxi driver who gets angry at Pham for taking photos? 

Pham relates his family’s harrowing escape from Vietnam. Detail this escape, including the family’s preparations before their actual flight to their arrival in the US.

When the North Vietnamese won the war and unified the country in 1975, Vietnam and the United States remained bitter enemies for years. With specific examples from the narrative, what happened to Vietnamese who opposed the North, especially those in government positions? What does Pham’s narrative provide as hope for some of these survivors, in the guise of the old man on the plane at the end? 

Pham describes several instances of fate, where he considers how he fled to America while others, like the blind beggar girl, still suffer in Vietnam. Recap several of these encounters. Why does Pham feel guilt, and what is his response to each of these troubling encounters?

The crisis of cultural identity is a major theme in Pham’s narrative. Describe an instance from your own life when you felt pulled in two different directions because you belonged to two oppositional groups. Examples include two different sport teams, being bilingual, or raised by parents of two different religions. What were the circumstances of your experience and what conflicts were involved? How did you deal with them? Use specific examples and anecdotes. 

Pham’s sister Chi transitioned to be a male named Minh. Minh had a difficult time adjusting to life in the US and ultimately committed suicide. Detail Minh’s life, from childhood to adulthood. How was he treated by his family? Why does Pham feel guilty in regard to Minh?

The males in Pham’s family often resort to violence. Despite this, he works to put an end to violence within himself. What are some instances of violence in the book, including ones where Pham acts violently, and what are some in which he avoids violence? How does he deal with the urge to act violently?