We Can Do Hard Things

84. Mothers & Sons with Ocean Vuong (and Chase Melton)

Apr 5, 2022
Ocean Vuong, an award-winning author known for exploring identity and trauma in his work, joins Glennon and her son Chase for an insightful conversation. They dive into how Ocean's writing has impacted Chase's life. Ocean reflects on his mother's lessons about being an Asian boy in America and the empathy he gained from her passing, enriching his artistic voice. They also discuss redefining masculinity and the complexities of raising biracial children, emphasizing the intertwining of artistry and identity in navigating cultural challenges.
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INSIGHT

Complicating Masculinity

  • Ocean Vuong chooses to use he/him pronouns to complicate masculinity rather than abandon it.
  • He sees value in reshaping existing structures like gender, language, and even the Earth, rather than discarding them.
ANECDOTE

American Boyhood and Suffering

  • Observing hyper-masculine white boyhoods in New England, Ocean Vuong noticed the suffering caused by limited expressions of masculinity.
  • He saw this as a form of confinement, restricting boys to narrow, predetermined roles.
ANECDOTE

Motherhood, Loss, and Empathy

  • Ocean Vuong’s mother, a Vietnamese refugee, shaped his understanding of America.
  • Witnessing her death connected him to a shared human experience of loss and empathy.
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