Macaque Monkeys Symbol Analysis

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 of the macaque monkeys, the most hunted primates in Southeast Asia. The brains of the monkeys are considered a delicacy, and they are thought to be a cure for impotence. Little Dog claims that the brain of a macaque monkey is closer to a human brain than any other living mammal, and he claims that the macaques are capable of critical thought and problem solving, and that they have the ability to recall past events. In short, Little Dog says, macaque monkeys “employ memory in order to survive,” just a people do.

In the consumption of macaque brains, the animal is strapped under a table, and the brains are consumed while the monkey is still alive. When the brain is gone and the last memory consumed, the monkey finally dies, which reflects the importance of memory in Vuong’s novel. Little Dog tells a story of 1968, the Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese zodiac, during which his mother and grandmother, Lan, are still in Vietnam during the war. They are both held at gunpoint by American soldiers, and while they are eventually let go, it is a powerful memory of fear and survival. Near the end of the novel, Little Dog asks Rose to tell him the story about the monkeys, and he reminds her that she was born in the Year of the Monkey. “So you’re a monkey,” Little Dog says. Like the macaque monkeys, Little Dog uses his own memories and those told to him through the stories of others in order to survive.