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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Part 1
Explanation and Analysis—Monstrosity and Mothers:
Vuong uses Little Dog's reflections on monstrosity and motherhood as motif in Parts 1 and 2 of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. In their shared—albeit different—"monstrosity," Little Dog finds connection with Rose. In this first passage from Part 1, Little Dog reflects on the homophobic bullying he endured in school. His classmates would often refer to him as a "monster":
At recess the next day, the kids would call me freak, fairy, fag. I would learn, much later, that those words were also iterations of monster.
Little Dog is called a "monster," an "other," for his queerness. Vuong continues this motif, and Little Dog's train of thought, in the following passage from the same section:
You’re a mother, Ma. You’re also a monster. But so am I—which is why I can’t turn away from you. Which is why I have taken god’s loneliest creation and put you inside it. Look.
Rose is a "monster" in part because of her trauma. She chooses to continue the cycle of violence inflicted upon her, abusing Little Dog until he protests.
In this final instance of the motif from Part 2, Little Dog imagines (metaphorically) beheading his mother, ridding himself of the monster once and for all:
“I don’t want you to be my mom anymore.” His voice strangely deeper, more full.
“You hear me? You’re a monster—”
And with that her head is lopped off its shoulders.
Little Dog's feelings regarding monstrosity are complicated. It is evident that he somewhat identifies with Rose, although their respective "monstrosities" differ in nature. Little Dog makes the effort to understand his mother and her monstrosity; despite this, he resents her for the trauma her monster disseminates in his life. Vuong handles the "monster" as an intricate, multifaceted motif.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Barthes:
At several points in the novel, Little Dog alludes to the work of French philosopher Roland Barthes. The two following excerpt is from Part 1:
I reread Roland Barthes’s Mourning Diary yesterday, the book he wrote each day for a year after his mother’s death. I have known the body of my mother, he writes, sick and then dying. And that’s where I stopped. Where I decided to write to you. You who are still alive.
Little Dog's interest in Barthes is on display in Part 3, too, when he alludes to Barthes alongside other influential figures:
I sit, with all my theories, metaphors, and equations, Shakespeare and Milton, Barthes, Du Fu, and Homer, masters of death who can’t, at last, teach me how to touch my dead.
In the first passage—from Part 1—Little Dog reflects on Barthes's book Mourning Diary, relating it to his own epistolary endeavor. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is both a letter to Rose and an exercise in mourning. Little Dog mourns both the future death of his mother and the current "death" of their relationship: a critical and ever-widening gulf in understanding that separates mother and son.
In the second passage, from Part 3, Little Dog mourns Lan's death, alluding to Barthes yet again. At this stage in the novel, Barthes is no longer a philosopher Little Dog wishes to mine for knowledge or insight. Instead, Little Dog recognizes that when faced with true death, no amount of reading is adequate preparation.
On a broader level: Barthes worked on theories of deconstruction and post-structuralism—essential concepts in 20th century philosophy. Vuong applies both theories in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, deconstructing established binaries (man/woman, colonizer/colonized, American/Vietnamese) throughout the novel.
Related Themes:
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Monstrosity and Mothers:
Covered in "Part 1 Explanation and Analysis—Monstrosity and Mothers"
Vuong uses Little Dog's reflections on monstrosity and motherhood as motif in Parts 1 and 2 of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. In their shared—albeit different—"monstrosity," Little Dog finds connection with Rose. In this first passage from Part 1, Little Dog reflects on the homophobic bullying he endured in school. His classmates would often refer to him as a "monster":
At recess the next day, the kids would call me freak, fairy, fag. I would learn, much later, that those words were also iterations of monster.
Little Dog is called a "monster," an "other," for his queerness. Vuong continues this motif, and Little Dog's train of thought, in the following passage from the same section:
You’re a mother, Ma. You’re also a monster. But so am I—which is why I can’t turn away from you. Which is why I have taken god’s loneliest creation and put you inside it. Look.
Rose is a "monster" in part because of her trauma. She chooses to continue the cycle of violence inflicted upon her, abusing Little Dog until he protests.
In this final instance of the motif from Part 2, Little Dog imagines (metaphorically) beheading his mother, ridding himself of the monster once and for all:
“I don’t want you to be my mom anymore.” His voice strangely deeper, more full.
“You hear me? You’re a monster—”
And with that her head is lopped off its shoulders.
Little Dog's feelings regarding monstrosity are complicated. It is evident that he somewhat identifies with Rose, although their respective "monstrosities" differ in nature. Little Dog makes the effort to understand his mother and her monstrosity; despite this, he resents her for the trauma her monster disseminates in his life. Vuong handles the "monster" as an intricate, multifaceted motif.
Related Themes:
Part 3
Explanation and Analysis—Barthes:
Covered in "Part 1 Explanation and Analysis—Barthes"
At several points in the novel, Little Dog alludes to the work of French philosopher Roland Barthes. The two following excerpt is from Part 1:
I reread Roland Barthes’s Mourning Diary yesterday, the book he wrote each day for a year after his mother’s death. I have known the body of my mother, he writes, sick and then dying. And that’s where I stopped. Where I decided to write to you. You who are still alive.
Little Dog's interest in Barthes is on display in Part 3, too, when he alludes to Barthes alongside other influential figures:
I sit, with all my theories, metaphors, and equations, Shakespeare and Milton, Barthes, Du Fu, and Homer, masters of death who can’t, at last, teach me how to touch my dead.
In the first passage—from Part 1—Little Dog reflects on Barthes's book Mourning Diary, relating it to his own epistolary endeavor. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is both a letter to Rose and an exercise in mourning. Little Dog mourns both the future death of his mother and the current "death" of their relationship: a critical and ever-widening gulf in understanding that separates mother and son.
In the second passage, from Part 3, Little Dog mourns Lan's death, alluding to Barthes yet again. At this stage in the novel, Barthes is no longer a philosopher Little Dog wishes to mine for knowledge or insight. Instead, Little Dog recognizes that when faced with true death, no amount of reading is adequate preparation.
On a broader level: Barthes worked on theories of deconstruction and post-structuralism—essential concepts in 20th century philosophy. Vuong applies both theories in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, deconstructing established binaries (man/woman, colonizer/colonized, American/Vietnamese) throughout the novel.
Related Themes:
