David Bergen's piece, And You Arrive on the Other Side With Nothing, is a story in which his faith plays a significant part. Bergen's faith manifests itself both in his memory and in his everyday life in Vietnam. Plenty of evidence can be found for both of these claims, since Bergen's own memories and his experiences in Vietnam provide him with a wealth of examples.
It is made clear in the story that Bergen was baptized at the age of seventeen. While Bergen claims, "I am a different man today, and no longer believe in a selfish salvation," he is still a spiritual man. While Bergen may not believe in an, "angry but forgiving God," he does believe in a mysterious power that somehow directs the course of worldly events, such as when he and two of his children are left standing on a sandbar after having been washed away from shore by some large waves.
During his stay in Vietnam, faith is Bergen's only way of staying sane are the acts of faith that he consistently experiences from other people. These small acts of kindness are most consistent with the social gospel idea that it is each man's responsibility to help his neighbours. Examples of these favours can been seen in such acts as Bergen's landlord's invitation to dinner, the fisherman helping them off the aforementioned sandbar, and the older Vietnamese man who is kind enough to stop and talk to Bergen for a while. As Bergen adjusts to life in Vietnam, he becomes increasingly paranoid that something will happen to his children. He seeks to control fate by becoming overly protective. It is not until the end of the novel, with the appearance of the old Vietnamese man, that Bergen learns that he must learn to trust and accept the hand that fate deals to him.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
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