Mai’s abusive boyfriend. Rose piles Little Dog and Lan into the car in the middle of the night when Little Dog is just a boy and drives to Carl and Mai’s house. Carl has a history of abusing Mai, and Rose is convinced he is “killing” her sister. She pulls up to their house and bangs on the door with the wooden butt of a machete, and a man answers, knocking the knife from Rose’s hand. She returns to the car, and Lan tells her that Mai and Carl haven’t lived in the house for over five years. Rose’s late-night trip to Carl’s old house underscores the severity of Rose’s mental illness, as well as the abuse and violence endured by Little Dog’s family.
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Carl Character Timeline in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
The timeline below shows where the character Carl appears in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
...“He’s gonna kill her, Ma,” she says to Lan, talking about sister, Mai. Mai’s boyfriend, Carl, has been known to beat her. The clock says 3:14, and Little Dog thinks that...
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“Come out, Carl,” Rose screams in Vietnamese, banging on the door with the wood butt of a machete....
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