40 pages • 1 hour read
Thi BuiThe Best We Could Do
Nonfiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Adult | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Key Figures
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaKey Figures
Thi
Thi is the narrator of The Best We Could Do, although, she is not actually the protagonist of the book: It is more fitting to call the entire Bui family the protagonist of the book. Thi’s position as both the focal point and an auxiliary character during much of the book’s action shifts the focus away from Thi singularly and toward the collective life of the Bui family. This narrative and character-based convention reflects Bui’s desire to move away from a childish selfishness about what her parents owed her and toward a compassionate understanding of her parents and their lives on their own terms—instead of narrowly defined in relation to herself. This purposeful journey ultimately results in Thi finding peace and fulfillment. Once Thi faces and depicts the complexity of her parents’ lives and sees them as real, full people, she moves beyond her own resentments toward them and into her own future as a mother.
Hắng
Hắng, Thi’s mother, is a more prominent presence within the narrative than Nam, Thi’s father. The bookending device of the birth of Thi’s son is grounded in the presence of Hắng, and in Thi’s exploration of the meaning and responsibility of motherhood. This is something that she can only share with Hắng, and which is abetted by Hắng’s steadfast nurturing and strength as a mother—as well as Nam’s marked absence. Through the character of Hắng, Bui explores the complexity of family and gender in conjunction with the family unit. Distinct roles are expected of each gendered member of the traditional nuclear family, and the Buis are marked by these social norms. Hắng’s grit and intelligence hold the family together—as well as the softer aspects of her nurturing and tenderness. This is a common experience of Vietnamese women, as Thi’s tale bears out with its details about numerous unfaithful and abusive men, and the women who were forced to survive in their wake. It is no wonder that Thi, as a woman and new mother herself, gravitates toward her mother as both an example and an emotional beacon as she embarks on this journey to discover herself and her family history.
Nam
Nam, Thi’s father, is still nonetheless an important figure within the narrative. He is subject to the same frailties of his gender at large: emotional and physical distance, the inability to properly care for young children, and harsh anger. However, Thi is careful never to leave her depiction of her father at condemnation. While recognizing the consequences of his emotional absence, she still seeks to understand the fullness of his life—and she also honors him for the strength and heroism he displayed saving the lives of his family members and bearing them out of Việt Nam toward safety. Nam’s character depiction is a testament to Thi’s journey at large: He exists as a full person on his terms and not simply in relation to Thi as her father. It is Thi’s purposeful endeavor to see her parents in this way that affords her the sense of peace and resolution that she seeks.
