Father

Vuong’s father represents the failure of paternity - his father has forgotten his duties as a biological father and abandoned the family, in essence “[forgetting]” Vuong (5). Nonetheless, Vuong emphasizes that the idea of forgetting is a two way street – “Your father is only your father / until one of you forgets” – but Vuong does not specify who exactly is the “one of you” (4-5). Vuong’s father has forgotten his son, but Vuong himself can also reclaim the process of forgetting for himself, and rightfully forget those who abandoned and did not care for him in the first place. Therefore, the failures of Vuong’s father also suggest Vuong’s ability to not let his traumas, specifically those wrought on him by paternal abandonment and his parents’ failed heterosexual union, define him.

Mother

Vuong’s mother represents the constancy of maternal care in sharp contrast to...