Have you ever thought something was a symbol of something even though they are complete opposites? In the book, “Inside Out and Back Again” by Thanhha Lai, the main character, Há, has a papaya tree growing in her backyard that she is very attached to. During this time Há’s home country Vietnam is at war. In this book, Há’s papaya tree has dealt with the harsh conditions that the country of Vietnam has gone through. The country and the papaya tree have people relying on them as a source of hope. Há’s papaya tree is a symbol of a country at war.
Há’s papaya tree has dealt with the harsh conditions the country has been through. Vietnam is known to have monsoons, so when the book states, “We pretend that the monsoon has come early” (Early Monsoon ), Há is not worried about her papaya tree because other papaya trees in the area have survived the monsoon with little to no damage. Há also isn’t worried about her country during a monsoon because the countries people have learned to adapt to their seasons.
Há, however, is only pretending this is a monsoon and in the book describes what she really hears and sees,”Bombs explode like thunder, Slashes lighten the sky, Gunfire falls like rain.” (Early Monsoon) Há describes these things to show the reader that this is not a real monsoon, and that the country is being attacked. The vibe that this poem gives off proves that Há really is worried about her countries well-being, and the impacts it may have on her life, including her papaya tree. Há’s Uncle Son, gives her family the chance to leave their homeland behind and start a safe new life far from war.
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Há’s family accepts the offer and Há’s Uncle, “tells us to be ready to leave any day.” (Watch over us) There are families that are willing to leave their country behind if it means safety. These families are leaving the country for a reason, and that reason is war, bombs, death, and loss. Há’s family is not only leaving their country they are also leaving their belongings, their home and their papaya tree. The strength that the papaya tree and the country show that they are great symbols of hope.
The country of Vietnam and the papaya tree are similar symbols of hope because they both have people relying on them. An example of this is when Há was comparing her papaya’s that were growing on the tree to her body parts, ”Five papayas the size of my head, a knee, two elbows and a thumb.’ (Two More Papayas)
According to the Shmoop Editorial Team, whenever a person compares an object to their body the item means a lot and that objects resembles them in some way. In the poem Last Respects taking place is a formal lowering of the Vietnamese flag on the boat that the refugees escaped on. After the flag is lowered, “One woman tries to throw herself overboard screaming without a country she cannot live”(Last Respects) This proves that since the people’s symbol of hope is gone that all hope is gone and there’s no reason left to live. Once Há is in Alabama and settled in her new home she started going to school.
A few months later she finds out her teacher’s son had died over in Vietnam. She thought that her teacher was mad at her. Her teacher comforted her and said that she wasn’t mad at her. Eventually, her teacher shows Há a book of pictures that her son took while he was over in Vietnam. Há comes across a picture of a papaya tree and her reaction was, “stabbing at the picture. ‘Best food.’ ‘Papaya? Your favorite food is papaya?’” (MiSSSisss WaSShington’s Response) This quote supports that the papaya tree is a great symbol of hope because it reminds her of home, and will always exist, always to be relied on.
A country at war is a symbol of a growing papaya tree. The harsh conditions that the country deals with the papaya tree deals with too. The papaya tree and the country of Vietnam have people relying on them as a source of hope. This regular family in Vietnam where only two out of the five people in the family speak English could to adapt to a new life in America and handle new difficult situations. So what’s stopping you?
