On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous Themes

Ocean Vuong’s epistolary novel On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from Little Dog, a young Vietnamese American, to his mother, Rose, who grew up near Saigon during the Vietnam War. Little Dog recounts his mother’s experiences during the war, as well as those of his grandmother, Lan, and the result is a stark picture of violence, suffering, and starvation. At the age of five, Rose watched as her school collapsed…

Ocean Vuong’s On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous is an intimate look at the many forms of addiction. Vuong’s main character, Little Dog, grows up in Connecticut in the 2000s, during the early days of America’s opioid epidemic, and drugs are commonplace during his teenage years. Little Dog’s mother, Rose, chain-smokes cigarettes, and his grandfather, Paul, grows his own marijuana. “They say addiction might be linked to bipolar disorder,” Little Dog explains to…

In addition to gender and sexuality, Ocean Vuong also explores race and racism in On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous. Vuong’s protagonist, Little Dog, is a Vietnamese American who immigrates to the United States from Vietnam in 1990. From the moment Little Dog and his family arrive, color proves to be of paramount importance in American society. “Do I look like a real American?” Little Dog’s mother, Rose, asks while trying on secondhand…

Ocean Vuong’s On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous examines the power of language and storytelling. Vuong’s protagonist, Little Dog, is Vietnamese American, and English is his second language. Language is also central to Little Dog’s identity as a writer, and the novel, which constitutes a letter to Little Dog’s illiterate mother, Rose, further draws attention to words and language. Storytelling, too, is foundational in Little Dog’s life, and the stories his mother and grandmother…

While arguably a lesser theme in On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous, the novel is based on Little Dog’s stories and those told to him by others, and memory is nevertheless an important part of Ocean Vuong’s book. For example, Little Dog puts his father back together using only his memories, and his Vietnamese identity is closely related to his grandmother Lan’s stories, and her ability to remember their life back in Vietnam…