On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

by

Ocean Vuong

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Rose’s Client Character Analysis

A customer in the nail salon where Rose works as a manicurist. Rose’s client is about 70 years old, and she comes to Rose looking for a pedicure. Before the woman puts her feet into the heated foot spa, she reaches down and detaches a prosthetic leg from just below her knee. Rose meticulously clips and paints the woman’s nails, and then she massages her calf. When she is finished, the woman gestures to her missing leg. “Would you mind,” she says. “I can still feel it down there. It’s silly, but I can.” Rose silently massages the woman’s invisible leg, and the woman gives her a hundred-dollar bill. Rose’s client and her “phantom limb” illustrate the power of memory, which, Vuong argues, remains even when everything else is gone.

Rose’s Client Quotes in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

The On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous quotes below are all either spoken by Rose’s Client or refer to Rose’s Client. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
War, Trauma, and Abuse  Theme Icon
).
Part 2 Quotes

“If it’s the same price anyway,” she says. “I can still feel it down there. It’s silly, but I can. I can.”

Related Characters: Rose’s Client (speaker), Ma/Rose
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:
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Rose’s Client Quotes in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

The On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous quotes below are all either spoken by Rose’s Client or refer to Rose’s Client. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
War, Trauma, and Abuse  Theme Icon
).
Part 2 Quotes

“If it’s the same price anyway,” she says. “I can still feel it down there. It’s silly, but I can. I can.”

Related Characters: Rose’s Client (speaker), Ma/Rose
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis: