Heaven and Earth Chapter 8

 

A Peach Blossom

 In the eighth chapter of When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, Le Ly remembered a Metaphor, a direct comparison of two different things, her father used to say to her--"Remember, my little peach blossom, revenge is a god that demands human sacrifice."  So, she decided to ignore the men who cheated her and felt that acting upon revenge would lead to more darkness in the world.  Le Ly learned of the enslavement and trade of women, some even younger than she was.  She also wrote about the prostitutes and thieves she encountered in Danang; she did not disapprove as long as the women did it willingly.

In the part of the chapter set during her trip back to Vietnam, Le Ly and Bon Nghe, her older brother, discussed the war, their families, and her coming back to Vietnam.
"You must understand, Bay Ly: the war is still going on for us.  We can't turn trust on and off like a light switch--"

Bon Nghe felt that by her coming back to Vietnam with the history she had, Le Ly was endangering the lives of all of her family members.  He told her that there "were still certain villagers who have not forgotten the war," and he did not want her to go searching for their mother because these people remembered the times when she was accused of collaboration with the enemy.

The situation in Vietnam during the war was very similar to that of America during the Civil War.  Family members fought family members and everyone experienced painful losses.  Inhabitants of each side were always careful of the people they associated with, just like Le Ly's family was when she returned to Vietnam after fleeing in the midst of war.