At the beginning of the book, Fowler finds out that his acquaintance that he has been waiting for has been found dead. The murdered man, Pyle, stole Fowler's love Phuong and police are looking for answers. Fowler does a great job of being innocent. After he breaks the news to Phuong who does not understand the policeman due to language barriers, he asks her to stay the night with him and she does. From this point, Fowler begins to reminisce about the first time he met the young American Pyle. Pyle approached Fowler at the Continental and asks if he could join his table since there were no other available seats. Fowler agrees and the two become friends. A short time later, Fowler and Phuong were again at the Continental when Pyle invites them to join his table. The trio later travels with Granger where he visits the House of Five Hundred Girls and the others have dinner. While having dinner, Pyle asks Phuong to dance with him. Fowler watches the pair dancing and his feelings for Phuong begin to stir. That night, Fowler decides he will travel to the battlefield to see how the war is taking shape so he will have something to report. After a long day on the battlefield, Fowler is settling in for a night of sleep when Pyle shows up unexpectedly to report that he has developed feelings for Phuong and intends to act on those feelings. Before falling to sleep, Pyle's confident attitude irks Fowler but Pyle promises not to pursue Phuong until Fowler returns home. The next morning Pyle leaves while Fowler is gone to breakfast. Fowler attends a press conference and later learns he has been promoted to foreign editor and will be leaving Saigon soon.
Entry # 2 8 February 2010
Greene, Graham. The Quiet American. New York: Penguin, 2004. 63-180.
I. Part II of the Quiet American
A. Chapter 1
1. Pyle invites himself over to talk to Phuong in Fowler's presence
2. Fowler quickly writes a letter pleading to stay on as a correspondent
3. Phuong leaves before Pyle arrives
4. Pyle and Fowler make small talk when Phuong returns unexpectedly
5. Fowler translates for Pyle while he proposes to marry Phuong if she will accept him
6. Both men and Duke become heated until Phuong refuses to leave with Pyle
7. Pyle leaves with a broken heart as Phuong watches him intently
8. Fowler quickly scribes a note to his wife asking for a divorce
9. As Fowler smokes the opium that Phuong has prepared he tells her that he has been ordered home but has written his wife to ask for the divorce
II. Part II-Chapter 2
A. Chapter 2-Part 1
1. The Holy See festival
2. Pyle has secret conversation with a commandant
3. Fowler reflects about various memories
B. Chapter 2- Part 2
1. Pyle gets a ride with Fowler back to Saigon
2. Fowler's car runs out of gas and they are stranded
C. Chapter 2- Part 3
1. Fowler and Pyle find refuge for the night at a watch tower with two
Vietnamese soldiers
2. Fowler and Pyle discuss democracy, religion, and their beliefs (or lack of)
3. Pyle manages to get a sten gun from the two men in the watch tower
4. The men have a deep discussion about sex and dying
5. The two are forced from the tower just before it is blown up
6. Pyle saves Fowler's life
7. They are fired upon in the rice field
8. Pyle strikes out to get help for Fowler at the next tower
9. Pyle returns with help and tells Fowler the crying boy was dead
III. Chapter 3
A. Chapter 3-Part 1
1. After a stay in a military hospital, Fowler returns home to Phuong
2. A letter has arrived to deny a divorce
3. Fowler writes Pyle a letter and lies about the divorce
B. Chapter 3-Part 2
1. Fowler leans more and more on Dominguez to do the reporting
2. Dominguez falls ill
3. Fowler visits Dominguez's friend, Monsieur Chou about Pyle
4. Mr. Heng shows the mould and drum but does not tell Fowler the importance
C. Chapter 3- Part 3
1. Pyle confronts Fowler about the lies he wrote in the letter
2. Fowler learns that Phuong allowed her sister to read the letter
3. Pyle tells Phuong that Fowler has cheated her
IV. Part Three- Chapter 1
A. Chapter 1-Part1
1. The book flips back to present tense with a meeting of Fowler and Vigot
2. Fowler learns from Vigot that Pyle's dog has been found
3. Vigot says he will drop in on Fowler at ten to speak with him privately
B. Chapter 1-Part 2
1. The book goes back to remembering when Pyle was alive
2. "Operation Bicyclette" revealed
3. Fowler finds the secret room with the working press
4. At 1:30 a.m., Fowler realizes that Phuong has left him
C. Chapter 1- Part 3
1. Fowler goes to find Pyle but does not
2. Fowler gets crude with Joe the Economic Attaché
3. Fowler breaks down and cries in the restroom
D. Chapter 1- Part 4
1. Fowler goes north to get away from everything
2. Fowler is allowed to go on a vertical mission with Captain Trouin
E. Chapter 1- Part 5
1. Captain Trouin and Fowler visit an opium house
2. They briefly discuss war and love
3. Fowler takes a lady home but remembers Phuong and loses his desire
V. Chapter 2
A. Chapter 2-Part 1
1. Fowler returns to Saigon to find Pyle at his home
2. The news is broken that Pyle and Phuong has not been married yet
B. Chapter 2- Part2
1. Fowler goes to see a new apartment
2. He stops by the Pavillon for an iced beer and finds himself in the middle of an
explosion
3. Pyle emerges and assure Fowler that Phuong was not at the milk-bar
4. Fowler realizes that Pyle played a part in the explosion
5. Pyle was deceived about a planned parade
VI. Part IV
A. Chapter 1-Part1
1. The story flips back to the present time of Fowler waiting for Vigot to come
2. Vigot comes by and feeds enough information to let Fowler know he knows he
lied
a. The time correction
b. The dog's paws
B. Chapter 2-Part 1
1. The story goes back to remembering
2. Fowler meets with Mr. Heng and is asked to help them stop Pyle
C. Chapter 2-Part 2
1. Dominguez showed up unexpectedly
2. Pyle comes by and Fowler asks him to dinner
3. Fowler signals to the trishaw driver
4. Second thoughts emerge in Fowler's mind
D. Chapter 2- Part 3
1. Fowler watches the American bombers unload
2. After speaking briefly with Wilkins, he goes to the theater
3. Pyle does not show up at the restaurant
4. Grangers confides his son is very sick to Fowler
E. Chapter 3
1. Phuong returns from the movie
2. Fowler reads the telegram from his wife accepting his divorce
3. Phuong excitedly goes to tell her sister of an upcoming marriage
Pyle comes over to profess his desire to marry Phuong with Fowler present. The two men get angry at each and without showing emotion, Phuong withdraws herself and starts looking at her picture books of royal families. Finally, she tells Pyle that she will stay with Fowler. Pyle is clearly upset because he never suspected that she would turn down his proposal. Fowler, in a desperate attempt to keep Phuong, he writes he wife and asks her to consider divorcing him. He feels sure she will not grant his request. Pyle and Fowler both wind up at the Holy See festival. When it is time to return home before the roads become unsafe, Pyle realizes that his car will not start. Fowler thinks he is using this as an excuse to have secret conversation with the commandant. Pyle accepts a ride with Fowler but the car runs out of gas. The two men walk to the nearest tower and seek refuge for the night with two young Vietnamese men. Eventually Pyle gets one of the weapons in the tower. A few bombs and firings are heard in the distance which eventually make their way to where the men are in the watch tower. Fowler and Pyle escape but Fowler is injured in the process. Pyle saves Fowler by not leaving him in the open field. After hiding in the rice field for some time, Pyle takes Fowler near the road and goes for help. Fowler spends some time in the hospital nursing the broken leg. He finally makes it back home to find Phuong still waiting for him. Fowler decides to write Pyle and tell him that his wife has decided to start divorce proceedings.
In the meantime, Fowler finds out that Pyle is involved in making explosives. When Pyle comes to confront Fowler about the lie, Fowler hints to Pyle that he knows the truth about his toy business. Shortly after the bicycle cover up was exposed, Phuong leaves Fowler because she has learned that Fowler lied about the letter from his wife. Eventually Fowler goes north on a vertical mission. Upon return, he and the new friend visit an opium house where Fowler decides to take a girl home with him. In his sadness, he cannot make love to the girl. Once he returned to Saigon, he fins Pyle waiting for him at the apartment asking for his friendship. The next day, Fowler finds himself in the town during an explosion only to learn that Pyle had a hand in the planning. Pyle finds out that he has been betrayed by General The'. Fowler remarks that being innocent is a kind of insanity meaning that not knowing brings innocence and blocks a person from responsibility. This upsets Fowler so much that he helps with taking Pyle out. Fowler is questioned many times by Vigot who eventually lets Fowler know that he is aware Fowler had a hand in Pyle's death. Once Phuong learns of Pyle's death, she moves back in with Fowler who gets a telegram from his wife saying she has started the divorce proceedings.
