When Heaven and Earth Changed Places (SparkNotes Literature Guide)

By SparkNotes

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by Le Ly Hayslip
Making the reading experience fun!
Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster.   Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides:   *Chapter-by-chapter analysis
*Explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols
*A review quiz and essay topics Lively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers  

• Language: English
• Publisher: SparkNotes
• Release date: Aug 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781411478282

Book preview

Cover of SparkNotes Guide to When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by SparkNotes Editors

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

Le Ly Hayslip

© 2003, 2007 by Spark Publishing

This Spark Publishing edition 2014 by SparkNotes LLC, an Affiliate of Barnes & Noble

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-4114-7828-2

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Contents

Context

Plot Overview

Character List

Analysis of Major Characters

Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

Key Facts

Context

The American-Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest and most unpopular wars in Western history. During World War II, Japan invaded and occupied the then-French colony Vietnam, leading to a period of brutality and unrelenting warfare. The Viet Minh was formed to defend the country against the invading Japanese. After the withdrawal of the Japanese troops at the end of WWII, the Viet Minh turned their fight for an independent nation toward their colonial rulers. From 1946 until 1954, Ho Chi Minh waged a resistance movement with the Viet Minh against the French. After fighting for almost eight years, France decided to leave Vietnam, on the condition that it would be split it into North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel.

The division of the country worked well in theory: South Vietnam was pro-Western, Catholic like the French, and led by the Western puppet president Diem; in contrast, North Vietnam was communist, Buddhist, and led by Ho Chi Minh. However, the situation was, in fact, much more complex. Much of the country was politically split, and many people changed affiliations during the war.

Starting in the early 1960s, the United States sent troops, money, and supplies to assist South Vietnam. After refusing to hold free elections, the United States removed President Diem from office. During this time, political dissent in the South started to move underground, creating military support in troops known as the Vietnamese Liberation Front, or