Theme Of Trauma In On Earth We Re Briefly Gorgeous

Trauma is not a broken bone; it does not mend over time. Instead, it burrows deep into one's psyche, becoming entangled in one's self-understanding and causing everlasting pain and suffering. Correspondingly, Ocean Vuong’s novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, examines this multifaceted nature of trauma and its complex psychological toll on one’s subconsciousness. Throughout history, social conflicts such as war, bigotry, and racism have negatively contributed to the intricate makeup of a person’s character and mental state. In light of this, Vuong explores this theme through the impoverished single mother, Hong. As a refugee from the Vietnam war, Hong faced the challenge of surviving financially in the eurocentric United States of America.

Refugees often feel displaced and overwhelmed when “navigating new cultural norms and negotiating their own identities in a new context” (First and Walton 2019). Since “conformity becomes a necessity for survival, despite their loss of homeland and social network” (Fred and Chung 2017), it can further exacerbate the issue of overlooking personal wounds due to finances and the pressure of society's perception on them. Similarly, Hong repressed memories of her abusive marriage to prioritise her income. During the war, her husband demeaned and abused her, making her miserable. Despite his death, she still felt its lingering effects, as if “the war followed [her] home” (Vuong 156), exposing the sheer extent of extreme toxic masculinity and abuse she had confronted. As a result, she “buried [her trauma] beneath the years, beneath the trauma and abuse, beneath the lies and deceits of others, beneath the things, [she] had told [herself], to survive” (Vuong 136), causing her to become disorientated and develop post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in exchange for America. Moreover, data on disabilities and mentally challenged refugees informs that “a large percentage of refugees experience disabilities, mental health challenges, and identity crisis, often exasperated by being exposed to violent and inhospitable conditions at different points in their journeys” (Hamidi and Zulekha 2022), such as war and domestic abuse. Accordingly, this substantiates Hong’s disconnection from reality when she sees herself through her son. For instance, when Hong spent time with her son, the author described it as “a chance [for Hoa] to return to her own childhood, her own failed attempts at […] marriage, her own traumas. Each time she [saw her son], she [saw] who she used to be, who she will never be again” (Vuong 121). Due to neglecting her profound past, Hong unknowingly projected it onto