The Character of Alden Pyle in "The Quiet American"

    Pyle was a very naive young man with both his involvement in the war and his relationship with the young mistress Phuong. He thought he can save Phuong by marrying her and getting her out of Vietnam. Furthermore, he believed he could make a difference in the world in a country that he knew very little about. But Pyle knew that he could not change the country alone, so he joined General Thè's army which was also known as the third force. Above all, Pyle believed that what he was doing was for the greater good for the country and he was determined to succeed despite the unimportant casualties lost. Pyle was focused on one side and his innocence blinded him. This resulted in Pyle being unaware of all the damage that he had caused by helping the third force.

    The bombing at Saigon, where dozens of casualties died, shows clearly Pyle's innocence. When Fowler confronted Pyle about the cancelling of the Parade, Pyle admitted that he did not know and it wasn't his fault. He created poor excuses, such as being away, and truly believed that he was not to be blamed. Here we see Pyle's innocence blinding him from reality and he truly believed that he was not at fault. "He'll always be innocent, you can't blame the innocent, they are always guiltless." Furthermore, Pyle states that General Thè wouldn't have done this and that it was the communists. He believed that the third-force would have not deceived him in such a way. Due to Pyle's naivety he did not see that he was merely being used to support some fanatics which never believed in his cause.

    To sum up, I would like to say that Pyle's ambitions to improve a country which he knew nothing about led to serious consequences. His naivety in the involvement of the war cost several lives and his self. If he had only thought about what he was doing and who he was affecting, Pyle may have broken out of his `innocent' behaviour and show some pity for his actions. However, he was stubborn and believed that the bombing was not his fault and that he wasn't deceived by General Thè. His innocent approach on the war soon led to an early death.