The Poetics of Pain: Trauma and Memory in Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Abstract

Aim: This paper investigates how Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous expresses trauma and memory through lyrical language and narrative fragmentation. The aim is to examine how the novel captures intergenerational pain rooted in war, displacement, and cultural dislocation, and how these emotional experiences shape identity.

Methodology and Approach: The research follows a qualitative approach, focusing on close textual analysis supported by postcolonial and trauma theory. The study applies frameworks developed by Cathy Caruth, Dominick LaCapra, and others to explore how Vuong’s stylistic strategies convey psychological rupture. Primary emphasis is placed on the novel’s epistolary structure and its use of poetic imagery to understand the link between memory, narrative, and healing.

Outcome: The study finds that Vuong’s narrative turns pain into artistic expression, making trauma visible through literary form. The novel highlights how suppressed memories—both personal and collective—emerge through fragmented storytelling. Vuong’s prose enables both the narrator and readers to confront suffering while navigating loss, identity, and belonging. The research also reveals how literature can create spaces for emotional recovery and cultural memory.

Conclusion and Suggestions: Vuong’s novel demonstrates that writing can become a therapeutic act. This study recommends further interdisciplinary research connecting literary trauma narratives to psychological resilience, with particular attention to diasporic voices and their unique modes of remembering, expressing, and surviving trauma.