The Sympathizer

In the final scenes of the book, the narrator’s torture—his Communist “reeducation”— only ends when he finally understands the concept of “nothing.” What is it that the narrator finally understands? Are there other instances in the book where “nothing” is used that might further illustrate this concept?

On page 376, the narrator shifts in the way he refers to himself, going from “I” to “we.” The narrator implies that his “two minds” have split apart, thus forming the “we,” but could the “we” refer to others as well? Who else might the narrator be speaking for?

The Chair of the Department of Oriental Studies asks the narrator to conduct an “indexing” of himself. The Chair has the narrator draw up a chart with two columns: in one column, he lists his “Oriental” qualities and in the other he lists his “Occidental” qualities. Examine the chart carefully on page 64. What is happening here, and how does it contribute to the overall theme of duality (and other themes) in the book?