For my final paper, I will be using the readings On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong and A View from the Bottom by Nguyen to analyze, reflect, and explore topics within these two readings, and hopefully, I can see how these readings are relevant and connected. The authors of both books raise the same issue; they approach it differently, either through artistic or scientific means. On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous prepares readers to analyze Asian male masculinity more closely by demonstrating how it impacts individuals in daily life, painting a target on Little Dog, the protagonist of the story, to be bullied and abused, forced into the role of a bottom by his bully/lover, Trevor. In juxtaposition, A View from the Bottom provides a deeper understanding of the issue by explaining the theoretical foundation by comparing and contrasting both high and low theories of shots and angles of perception of people in both porn and real-life relationships. It also offers an argument that racist stereotypes perpetuated in porn create the false top-bottom dichotomy standing in the way of real relationships for people.
The artistic reading of the problem provides an emotional and sensual basis for understanding the problem in a mundane context, in contrast to the casualties described in the theory. The primary text I picked is On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, which starts with the quote, “But let me see if using these words as a little plot of land and my life as a cornerstone- I can build you a center” (Vuong 90). Since I first read the book, I have had a very good impression of it, especially how the author named the book, which is beautiful. First, I would like to do a quick summary of the book and then move on to the reflection and intertwine it with the secondary text. This is Ocean Vuong’s debut novel, making it clear that he is a highly accomplished poet. The story pieces frequently read like poems, and each word seemed agonized before being put on paper.
The protagonist of the story is Little Dog, a Vietnamese gay American writer and student of literature. Lang, Little Dog’s grandmother, doesn’t have a happy life either, as she got married, avoided marriage, and was later abandoned by her family. Returning to the life of Little Dog, he was abused as a child. He later worked on a tobacco farm with a Hispanic migrant worker, where he met Trevor, the grandson of Mr. Buford, the owner of the farm. The two quickly enter into a complex relationship in which they explore their sexuality along with violence and drug abuse. As they are in an intimate relationship for the first time, they are still struggling with their identity and complex sexuality.
Both Trevor and Lan later died. Trevor was under the influence of a drug that cost him his life, while Lahn grew increasingly ill with advanced bone cancer. This trauma added to his already ruined Little Dog childhood, in which he lost the people he truly cared about. Lan’s funeral made him appreciate life more. From this story, I see Little Dog’s development from a traumatized poor boy who had a terrible childhood to a calmer person who is more open and appreciates things more.
As the main event of the book, Little Dog’s abuse in the past is portrayed very clearly. In addition, he also got bullied in school. Moreover, the nature of the connection between these events is very important. They both show weakness and the lack of masculinity, which coincidentally is also the central theme of the second text, A View from the Bottom by Tan Hoang Nguyen. This book talks about how Asian Americans must deal with the stereotype of people on Asian masculinity. Asian men are often associated with weakness, and submissiveness, which does not gain much appreciation from the community, which strongly values masculinity and manliness. The quote at the start of the book is representing the disdain held in the gay community against Asian men: “What we find is a lot of hate when all we want is head.” (Hoang 2).
Nguyen diagnoses a condition of racial consciousness he refers to as bottomhood at this junction. This phenomenon is conveyed through the ambiguous visualization of images that limit the essence of masculinity of people of a particular race, generating stereotypes at the cultural level. As a consequence, the theory resonates with veiled protest in fiction. So here, Ocean Vuong demonstrates the same in On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous when he talks about the main character Little Dog. In the book, Bottomhood serves as a place of authority and power as well as passive observations. Both authors bravely attempt to explore the subtleties of bottomhood as a complex social identity and an underappreciated Asian American subject position through its unconventional subject matter.
Having a lack of masculinity and coming from a minority Asian country, Little Dog faced rejection from society, just like how the Asian American male users of Grindr were at the receiving end of most rejections on the application. This is fully shown when Little Dog reveals his sexuality to his mother. Although his mother did not disown him, as he feared, she still asks questions that reflect her disappointment and rejection of Little Dog’s sexuality: “When did this start? I gave birth to a healthy, normal boy. I know that. When?” (Vuong 161). On the other hand, Asian American men are also facing similar disappointment and rejection through the dating app Grindr, in which many profiles show disappointment and rejection comments toward Asian Americans, such as: “Asians need not apply”; “I am scared about getting old and having to date a young Asian ladyboy” (Kang). This reaction is similar to how Little Dog’s mother reacted to him when he revealed his sexuality.
The similarity of the two books does not end here as they share an exciting interpretation of how sex position influences the perception of masculinity. In A View from the Bottom, the author expresses his idea of how the visualization of sexual images in relation to Asians correlates with their position in society. It shows the weakness and lack of power of the Asians as they have no control over anything, even during sex. In On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, the importance and symbolism of sexual position are also portrayed. When Trevor and Little Dog have sex, they do so without penetration.
Little Dog is submissive, and he accepts the violence of Trevor’s love. When Trevor offers to do the same for Little Dog, he recants the offer, saying, “I can’t. I just- I mean, I don’t want to feel like a girl. Like a bitch. I can’t, man” (Vuong 120). This shows how even Little Dog understands how shameful the sexual position can be, and it has much meaning and is not that simple.
Although different in context, both books can convey the same idea of how gay Asian Americans struggle to express their identity and sexuality and how society rejects their kind. The trend of racist and xenophobic attitudes towards Asian Americans is spreading at the present time. As Little Dog says: “You and I, we were Americans until we opened our eyes” (Vuong 120). Art must be honest, because the lack of honesty and the presence of idealized versions of relationships and sexuality create a distorted view of real-life relationships. This can be especially harmful to the existence of minorities and underprivileged communities (Byron et al. 788). On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a brutally honest novel. Sad stories occasionally come across as emotional tourism or gratuity masquerading as gravitas.
The book by Vuong is none of these as it serves as a vaccination, exposing us to different strains of the world’s poisons while preparing us to withstand and survive them. At the same time, Tan Hoang Nguyen offers a much-needed polemic against the categorical rejection of Asian gay femininity, which views agency and pleasure solely in the position of the top and identifies penetration and vulnerability as weaknesses. This effort is in line with Halberstram’s low theory, which undermines the heteronormative affirmations of dominance being equal with success by exploring femininity and “bottomness” as a means of living a happy and fulfilling life. The deep anxieties surrounding Asian American masculinity, historically characterized by feminization and emasculation, prevent explicit sexual representation and Asian American masculinity from being taken seriously (Nguyen 4). Nguyen views effeminacy as a possibility for sexual flexibility and creative opportunities rather than a harsh rejection of Asian American male freedom.
View from the Bottom attempts to refute the cultural vector of portraying Asians as cruel and masculine. Given recent unthinking celebrations of violent Asian American masculinity, Nguyen’s polemic should cause us to stop (Kao 49). The bottom may be seen as a place for creation, a place of receptivity that enables agency and pleasure, and a chance to create a queer utopic environment that allows unrestricted social interactions with others, thanks to Nguyen’s observations.
In conclusion, Vuong and Nguyen call for a careful balancing act between Asian American critique, which continues to struggle with queer subjectivities, and high homosexual male theory, which has not sufficiently accounted for racial differences. The author confronts these currents with low theory, which accurately describes his varied visual library and theoretical range. Nguyen may investigate the bottom position of homosexual men concerning Asian American racialization thanks to low theory.
Works Cited
Byron, Paul, et al. “Reading for realness: Porn literacies, digital media, and young people.” Sexuality & Culture vol. 25, no. 3, 2021, pp. 786-805.
Kang, Byung Chu Dredge. White Asians Wanted: Queer Racialization in Thailand. Diss. 2015.
Kao, Grace, et al. “Asian American Men in Romantic Dating Markets.” Contexts, vol. 17, no. 4, SAGE Publications, 2018, pp. 48-53.
Nguyen, Tan Hoang. A View from the Bottom: Asian American Masculinity and Sexual Representation (Perverse Modernities: A Series Edited by Jack Halberstam and Lisa Lowe). Duke UP Books, 2014.
Vuong, Ocean. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel. Reprint, Penguin Books, 2021.