Why did pyle bomb

Because he's not looking at the real concrete situation, Pyle blunders again and again, personally and politically, with devastating results. He's like a character in The Walking Dead or in some other horror story that makes unbelievably horrible decisions that get people killed.

Upon seeing the devastation of the bombing, he's incredulous:. I'm sure he wouldn't. Somebody deceived him. According to Fowler, Pyle was "impregnably armoured by his good intentions and his ignorance" 3. Pyle is the innocent villain who's really innocent and really a villain. But did he really have to die? Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Graham Greene. Previous Next. To Fowler, Pyle is innocence run amok—good intentions that bring irreparable harm: He didn't even hear what I said; he was absorbed already in the dilemmas of Democracy and the responsibilities of the West; he was determined — I learnt that very soon — to do good, not to any individual person but to a country, a continent, a world.

A Proper Gentleman Pyle is also very proper. After notifying Fowler of his intent to marry Phuong, he tells Fowler exactly how pleased he is that Fowler takes the news well: I've been feeling awfully bad about it.

Head in the Clouds If Pyle were a student in the classroom with no influence on anyone, or even a professor like his father, he'd be pretty harmless.

Chou and Mr. Fowler returns to Saigon and is surprised to find Pyle waiting at his flat. Fowler greets Pyle with a smug comment: "Still playing with plastics? Fowler asks Pyle if he and Phuong are married yet, and Pyle replies that he is planning to go on special leave so they can get married "properly" He plans to take Phuong back to America so she can settle in while Pyle finishes his service in Vietnam.

He says, "We are the old colonial peoples, Pyle, but we've learned a bit of reality, we've learned not to play with matches. This Third Force - it comes out of a book, that's all. Pyle pretends that he doesn't know what Fowler is talking about and tries to dismiss Fowler's accusations.

Based on his awkward reaction, it is clear that Pyle has involved himself in the recruitment of a Third Force.

Fowler gives himself the task of finding a new apartment so that he is not living amongst memories of Phuong. He visits an apartment in a modern building. The owner has a large art collection and personal library, which he would like to sell to Fowler along with the apartment. Fowler tells him that he is not a collector, and the apartment owner seems disappointed to hear this. He insists that he will only sell the apartment with the art collection included, and Fowler begins to wonder if the man would insist on selling himself with the art collection.

Fowler leaves the apartment, thinking that the man is the type of "old colonialist" that Pyle imagines. Fowler enters the street and stands in a coffee center, where he sees two American girls eating ice cream. After they finish their treats, one says to the other, "We'd better be going to be on the safe side. Warren said we mustn't stay later than eleven-twenty-five" The other girl is curious about why they need to leave the square.

Fowler listens to their conversation and wonders what they are talking about. As he daydreams, his surroundings suddenly shatter into pieces.

He finds himself on the ground, surrounded by wreckage. Fowler is relatively unharmed by the explosion, as are the other patrons in the cafe. His eardrums are overloaded, however, so it is difficult for him to hear.

He thinks that this attack must be similar to the bicycle bombs, wondering whom his paper will want him to blame. As soon as he exits the cafe and enters the square, however, he sees that it is flooded with police. Fowler realizes that that this attack is much more serious than Operation Bicycle, which he now categorizes as a "joke with plastics" Pyle symbolizes American exceptionalism in that he uses his fervent belief in democracy to legitimize his actions, no matter the impact.

With respect to the bombing, Fowler finds it abominable that Pyle made sure to warn American citizens to stay away from the blast site but failed to think about the Vietnamese civilians who might be injured or killed there.

This kind of double-standard indicates two things. First, Pyle unconsciously devalues the lives of Vietnamese people. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Themes Motifs Symbols. Important Quotes Explained. Book Full Book Quiz. Mini Essays Suggested Essay Topics. Summary Part Three, Chapter 2. Page 1 Page 2.