Immigrants and Their Children: A Story of Appreciation, Love and Childhood Memories

The United States has a larger immigrant population than any other nation. In light of this, the narratives of this population and their subsequent generations are an integral part of the American experience. One such story is Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, a letter dedicated to his mother under the mask of a novel. Referred to as Ma in the novel, she is a Vietnamese immigrant, a nail salon worker, and, most importantly, a mother. A migrant in America faces challenges from language barriers, poor employment opportunities, financial constraints, and more; however, the common Asian mindset is that these parental sacrifices are to provide the foundations of a better life for their children. Within the benefactors of this loss, the dynamic between a parent and a child is regarded with inconsistent feelings. Some view this indebtedness as the chain linked to the ball of filial piety, some see these sacrifices as a source of motivation and gratitude, and the rest seek their individual equilibrium between these views. Within his novel, Vuong conveys his judgement on this debate. Through a blend of sensory imagery, delicate diction, and segmented syntax along with echoing parts throughout the novel, he paints the harsh reality of an immigrant in the struggle to create a better life for their children in the shadows of the American dream. In doing so, Vuong argues that the relentless struggle of immigrant parents should ultimately be responded with love and appreciation from their children.

In Vuong’s letter to his mother, he dedicates pages to depicting her workplace, the nail salon. By weaving in sensory imagery, he details the physical tolls his mother has taken on as a result of the salon. In this location that serves as a melting pot for work and living to its workers, two distinct parties of scents mix. The first is the pleasant aromas of herbs used in Vietnamese cuisine such as ginger and mint. The second is the harsh stenches of chemicals used in American cosmetic products such as acetone and bleach. Speaking for the immigrants working in this fusion of scents, Vuong states that they will work here until their “lungs can no longer breathe without swelling”, their “joints brittle and inflamed from arthritis”, and until their livers harden with chemicals (115). Through these sensory descriptions connecting specific body parts to health effects caused by the toxic environment, Vuong captures nuggets that exemplify and materialize the physical scars the nail salon workers accumulate. The physical tolls are depicted as irreversible and permanent, stressing the unavoidable and hefty sacrifice of health the nail salon forces upon its workers. Such a dangerous workplace is not ideal, but the health effects are the inevitable price to sustain life in America as an immigrant due to the lack of better opportunities. In the endless marathon to provide a decent life for herself and her son, Vuong’s mother accumulates physical scars.

The imagery of health tolls paired with gentle diction evokes heartache for Ma. With respect to the grave costs of working in the nail salon, the life that these immigrant workers can provide pale in comparison. Their exchange of health is depicted as their process of “stringing together a kind of life” (Vuong 115). The use of a delicate verb, “stringing”, as opposed to more forceful alternatives such as “forging” or “building” accentuates the lightness of the reward in contrast to the burden of the health effects. Without a comparable compensation for the health sacrifice the immigrant workers endure, the irreversible scars left by the chemically-infused work environment evoke a sense of empathy and concern for them. This intended response in the readers mirrors Vuong’s personal feelings towards his mother’s situation, and it establishes Ma’s physically harming struggle to create a life for Ocean Vuong in America. A sense of indebtedness is perpetuated by the linkage between concern and the driving force behind Ma’s struggles, feeding into the perceived need for appreciation.

The content of this passage induces compassion for the workers, and the structure of the passage mirrors the experience of such immigrant workers. The partitioned syntax formulates the sense of a tiring and endless read, reflecting the working life of Ma. Two sentences communicate the physical toll of the nail salon and the unglamorous reality of an immigrant’s life in America. Within these two lengthy sentences, a total of five dashes and seven commas are utilized (Vuong 115). Vuong’s continuous use of segmented syntax creates a laborious and lengthy read, reflecting the life of the immigrant workers. Their work in the nail salon is tiring, as proven by the excerpts of Ma’s physical pain and need for massages, as well as endless, given the lack of alternative employment opportunities as a result of limited English and unrecognized education. The immigrant population is often helpless against this situation, but they persist for the pursuit of a better life for those they love. This sacrificial struggle characterizes the dynamic between many immigrant parents and their children, and Vuong’s acknowledgement of it reflects his awareness and appreciation for what Ma has endured for him.

TRANSITION Filial piety is a central concept of Confucianism revolving around “the idea that children should reciprocate parents for their sacrifice and resources spent on raising them.” Studies have found that immigrant parental difficulties and their children’s awareness of them are highly correlated to the extent in which this Asian philosophy is believed (Moon and Ruiz-Casares). By highlighting his awareness of his mother’s struggles, Vuong underscores the continuous sacrifices his mother makes in her taxing labor as an immigrant in America. The empathy created around her feeds into the feeling that her relentless giving should not be unreturned. To complement her pursuit of a better life for Ocean Vuong, he should love her and try to make her life in America a better one.

Other than the nail salon, another symbol of the pursuit of a better life in America is weaved through the novel. The combination of Wonder Bread and mayonnaise, an American innovation and a Western condiment, are mentioned multiple times. This symbolic duo exemplifies why Vuong both “hate and love your [Ma’s] battered hands for what they can never be” (115). The resentment stems from his mother’s inability to achieve the entirety of what she wants to provide in America due to her language barrier as an immigrant. The beginnings of the letter includes a depiction of Ma’s attempt to make bún bò huế, a Vietnamese soup that requires oxtail. The English term for oxtail is foreign to her, so she resorts to acting it out, but the men chortled to Ma’s pleading for the English term, and Vuong felt shame well inside of him. Ultimately, they “abandoned the oxtail, the bún bò huế” and instead “grabbed a loaf of Wonder Bread and a jar of mayonnaise” in silence (Vuong 45). Ma’s failed attempt to obtain a key ingredient for a Vietnamese soup is an example of her immigrant status hindering her. Her natural tongue in this foreign land simply cannot convey what her mind holds, and, consequently, she cannot provide Ocean Vuong the dish of her homeland.

TRANSITION These interactions cements her inability to wield English, which limits her from providing all she wants to for Ocean Vuong. The language barrier also ties with the health toll that Ma withholds due to her occupation that is conveyed through imagery in the passage. Because many are employed in low-wage sectors, immigrants are less likely to have health insurance in comparison to native-born citizens, and physicians experience difficulties with the language barrier in instances where they do seek medical assistance (Parmet et al.). While immigrants will sacrifice great amounts and work hard, elements outside of their control always influences their income, access to healthcare, and other necessities. This transparent glass ceiling, again, depicts immigrants’ helplessness towards their situation in America, and is a source of frustration and shame for their children. Immigrant parents can try to provide the beautiful life they envision as the American dream, but they can never fully do so.

The difference between what immigrant parents want to and can provide is what Vuong hates about Ma’s damaged hands, but he concludes with love towards them because they try nonetheless. This is highlighted by his loving tone toward a pairing of the food duo and realized situational irony. Near the end of the novel, Vuong recounts a fond childhood memory of enjoying sandwiches comprised of Wonder Bread and mayo. Ma’s experiences in Saigon formed her conception that white bread and butter were a luxury for the rich, and she served the mayo thinking it was butter. Ocean Vuong remembers “thinking this was the American Dream…our bellies full of bread and ‘butter’” (314). The irony is evident here. They think they have achieved the epitome of quality life in America without knowing what it truly is. While this misunderstanding could be construed as a pitiful instance, Vuong’s endearing tone conveys this childhood memory as a beautiful instance. Ma provided what she thought was a luxury to Ocean Vuong, and whether or not she was accurate does not erase her motivation to craft a better life for her child. While the mayo is not butter, the happiness is true. He appreciates his mother’s continuous effort to provide a happy life with what she had, and this positive emotion ultimately overpowers shameful and frustrated mentions of her immigrant status. This compassion created around her loving and giving character feeds into the concept of filial piety that Vuong has subtly infused in his novel. The bittersweet pursuit of a better life in America should be the impetus for love, gratitude, and reciprocation from immigrant children towards their parents.

CONCLUSION: reiterate 5 elements, so what? More confined within the novel: his own belief. By sharing his personal experience, reflection on their relationship with their parents, upbring/burden/trauma (don’t say this is what all…don’t generalize) (while some may try to generalize, Vuong says this each is unique perspective and this is his)

Works Cited

1. Jeongyoon Moon, and Mónica Ruiz-Casares. “Family’s Migration Experience and Distress Among Asian-Canadian Immigrant Youth.” Journal of Comparative Family Studies, vol. 50, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 7–32. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3138/jcfs.009-2017.
2. Parmet, Wendy E., et al. “Immigration and Health: Law, Policy, and Ethics.” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, vol. 45, Mar. 2017, pp. 55–59. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1073110517703326.
3. Vuong, Ocean. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel. Random House, 2019.