Monkey people
One of the first images which appears in the novel is that of the Sarkhanese people, as seen by Louise Sears. He describes the native people as being monkeys, doing nothing more but move from one place to another and not doing anything of importance for society. The image presented here is that of an inferior society where the members are not up to par with the western societies for the simple fact they have a different skin color.
The Russians
In the first chapter of the novel, the narrator focuses on the Americans stationed in a fictional country where the action takes place. In the second chapter, this focus shifts on the Russians who also set up an embassy and sent people over. The Russians are described in a really positive way, as doing everything they could to integrate themselves and to make themselves be liked by the. This image sets them apart from the Americans and shows that for the Russians, the main purpose was winning the hearts of the people.
The hardened soldier
Finian is an important character, a priest who comes to the fictional country where the action takes place in order to help the people resist the pull of communism. While Finian is still in Burma, he meets a soldier whom he tries to convince communism was not an ideology worth accepting. In this context, Finian describes the soldier he encountered. The soldier is described as being a hard man, someone who could not be persuaded to change his way. Finian realizes this and he gives up his desire to win the soldier. The man is seen as a lost cause, mainly because the war damaged him beyond repair. This image is thus used here to represent the way in which war affects people and how the people and the country were never the same.
People who are given the power
One important image is presented towards the middle of the novel when the priest addresses a large group of Burmese men. As the priest's speech progresses, so does the way in which the men are portrayed. At the end of the speech, the men as portrayed as standing tall and powerful in front of the priest. This image is important because the speaker talks about freedom and the power every person, no matter their race must be given. This image has the purpose of showing just how much the idea of freedom can affect a person and how freedom can give a person extreme power, and, above all, dignity.
