Sarcouncil Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies

Abstract: This article approaches Nguyen Huy Thiep’s short story " Tuong ve huu” (The Retired General) from an interdisciplinary perspective of text linguistics and literary studies, focusing on analyzing the system of cohesive utterances to identify their specific functions in constructing meaning, organizing the narrative flow, and expressing artistic ideology. The study employs a combined methodology, utilizing Hasan (1984)’s Cohesive Harmony Analysis (CHA) model to examine cohesive chains—specifically identity and similarity chains—and Tran Ngoc Them’s theory of textual cohesion to analyze both form and content-based cohesive devices. The findings reveal that the cohesive system does not only ensure textual coherence but it actively constructs the tragedy of the protagonist, Mr. Thuan, a retired general who finds himself profoundly alienated and lost within the mundane reality of post-war civilian life. Through this analysis, the article affirms the significant value of integrating diverse theoretical models to decode the complex structures of literary discourse.