The Buffalo
Little Dog frequently employs the image of a herd of buffalo thundering over the edge of a cliff in On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous, and the buffalo are symbolic of the opioid crisis that…
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Monarch Butterflies
Butterflies, specifically monarch butterflies, are repeatedly mentioned in On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous, and they are symbolic of memory, migration, and the importance of passing knowledge and lived experiences from generation to generation. Little…
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Macaque Monkeys
Little Dog frequently references monkeys, particularly macaque monkeys, which are symbolic of memories and the importance of lived experiences in Vuong’s novel. As Little Dog writes his letter to his mother, Rose, he tells…
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Superman
Little Dog mentions Superman, the popular comic hero who saves the world wearing a cape, several times in On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous, and Superman is symbolic of society’s narrow view of masculinity in…
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The Table
Many of Little Dog’s random memories involve a wooden kitchen table he thinks he remembers from this youth, which symbolizes the power of suggestion on memory in Ocean Vuong’s On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous…
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