Who knew?
Posted on 08/29/2005 10:34:04 AM PDT by Rodney King
The Quiet American by Grhame Greene is the quintessential anti vietnam novel. Written in 1955 while the French effort in then Indochina was raging, the novel explores and illustrates the various feelings regarding Vietnam that came to dominate American political culture in the late 1960's.
The protagnist of the book is a guy called Fowler. Fowler is an American hating, left-leaning atheist in the mold of Greene himself.
On the other side is a fellow named Pyle, who works at the American embassy and is a strident anti-communist.
Fowler is very Kerry-esque, tortured by every conceivable nuance missed by the US and Western governments, and ultimately finds himself far more sympathetic to the Communists than to the French, Americans or non-Communist nationalists.
This is the quintessential book opposing the French/American effort in Vietnam, and there is no doubt that Kerry read it.
Fowler goes on to conspire with the viet minh to have Pyle killed. Fowler's alibi for the evening when Pyle was killed? He was watching the movie Scaramouche.
The name of John Kerry's yacht? Scaramouche. Coincidence?
OK. Book written in '55, just after the French left. Doesn't change much.
Excellent synopsis. There's zero doubt in my mind that Kerry named the boat after the book. It is a short book and I recommend it to all Freepers as background for Kerry's ongoing attempt to resurrect himself poltically.
24-beers-in-a-case ping.
Kerry long ago admitted that Scaramouche was his "favorite" movie, and hence the boat's name. But, like all else he states, it depends upon his audience and the votes he is seeking.
Sounds to me like Kerry named it after himself.
Scara - Variant of scary. (adj.) Causing fright or alarm. Resembling Lurch of the Addams Family.
Mouche - Variant of mooch. (verb.) To steal; filch. As in mooching off older women. A bum. One who is employed and collects checks and benefits but does not show up for work.
Oh, I think that the Sabatini novel is a far less likely inspiration, keeping in mind that the singular self-described influence on Kerry's adult life (at least as described by him prior to "reporing for duty" at the Democrat convention) was the Vietnam war, and his actions and feelings in regard to it. The Quiet American is very likely to have been a huge influence on him. (Also, note that the movie changed the plot in certain respects.)
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22The+Quiet+American%22+%22john+kerry%22
Results 1 - 10 of about 9,500 for "The Quiet American" "john kerry". (0.22 seconds)
Well, even if the theory I presented is wrong, all of the other possibilities don't do much to help Kerry's character.
Any photos of Kerry's yacht?
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
Watched the Original Movie with Audy Murphy and Michael Redgrave (father of Vanessa the red). Good movie anti communist and pro democracy...Arguments very much like the arguments heard today about terrorism and democracy.
I enjoyed it very much.
Very clever post.
We should remember, however, that Mr. Kerry lost the election - as he should have. He will never be president because he's a self-centered, self-serving SOB.
Time to move forward.
Viva Bush!
--not and expert but I believe it was a late-in-life conversion or return---
I think the literal meaning of the word is probably the reason for the name of Kerry's boat -- "boastfulness and cowardliness."
John Kerry's likeness, not doubt, accompanies the definition.
Ping...
We were on another thread talking about 70's music, and I remember you explained the origins of the word "Scaramouche". This write-up tells about it, too.
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