The United States

The United States is both a symbol and a setting. As a setting, the United States is referred to throughout the novel. The United States is where Suteera comes from as the novel begins, on her way back to Cambodia to return Amara’s ashes to her homeland. The United States is also where the Old Musician studies, and where he first meets Channara. Channara and Aung Sokhon are also both educated in the United States, and also where they fall in love and decide to marry.

The United States represents both fear and hope for the main characters, and for Cambodia. For Suteera, she escaped Cambodia to become a refugee in the United States, and owes her survival to this country. However, she also knows if the bombings had not happened, her country might not have been plunged into the war and genocide. The Old...