Inside Out and Back Again

by

Thanhhà Lai

Brother Quang Character Analysis

Brother Quang, ’s oldest brother, is a 21-year-old engineering student in Saigon. Since he began attending college, Brother Quang has gotten increasingly pretentious. He’s very proud of being South Vietnamese, so he initially opposes leaving the country, believing that it’s his and his family’s duty as South Vietnamese citizens to stay and help build the country they want to see. But ultimately, he agrees to flee with the rest of the family, though he continues to say things that suggests he’s ashamed of this choice. In Florida, the cowboy selects Brother Quang to sponsor and train as an auto mechanic, which results in the family moving to Alabama. As the only family member who speaks English, Brother Quang does a lot of translating and tries to teach Hà English. When Brother Quang finally begins work, he’s often angry, though Hà never understands exactly why. He becomes happier when he’s finally able to repair a car that nobody else could and receives a promotion at work. At the end of the novel, the cowboy gives Brother Quang tuition so he can resume his engineering education at a night college.

Brother Quang Quotes in Inside Out and Back Again

The Inside Out and Back Again quotes below are all either spoken by Brother Quang or refer to Brother Quang. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
War, Childhood, and Maturity Theme Icon
).
Part 2: At Sea Quotes

I have never seen her
without this purple rock.
I can’t fall asleep
unless I twist the ring
and count circles.

Brother Quang says,
NO!
What’s the point of
new shirts and sandals
if you lose the last
tangible remnant of love?

I don’t understand
what he said
but I agree.

Related Characters: Kim Hà (speaker), Brother Quang (speaker), Mother, Father
Related Symbols: The Amethyst Ring
Page Number: 103-04
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Alabama Quotes

No, Mr. Johnston
doesn’t have a horse,
nor has he ever ridden one.

What kind of a cowboy is he?

To make it worse,
the cowboy explains
horses here go
neigh, neigh, neigh,
not hee, hee, hee.

No they don’t.

Where am I?

Related Characters: Kim Hà (speaker), Brother Quang (speaker), The Cowboy
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Inside Out and Back Again LitChart as a printable PDF.
Inside Out and Back Again PDF

Brother Quang Quotes in Inside Out and Back Again

The Inside Out and Back Again quotes below are all either spoken by Brother Quang or refer to Brother Quang. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
War, Childhood, and Maturity Theme Icon
).
Part 2: At Sea Quotes

I have never seen her
without this purple rock.
I can’t fall asleep
unless I twist the ring
and count circles.

Brother Quang says,
NO!
What’s the point of
new shirts and sandals
if you lose the last
tangible remnant of love?

I don’t understand
what he said
but I agree.

Related Characters: Kim Hà (speaker), Brother Quang (speaker), Mother, Father
Related Symbols: The Amethyst Ring
Page Number: 103-04
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Alabama Quotes

No, Mr. Johnston
doesn’t have a horse,
nor has he ever ridden one.

What kind of a cowboy is he?

To make it worse,
the cowboy explains
horses here go
neigh, neigh, neigh,
not hee, hee, hee.

No they don’t.

Where am I?

Related Characters: Kim Hà (speaker), Brother Quang (speaker), The Cowboy
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis: