Characters The Emperor of Gladness Ocean Vuong

Hai - The Emperor of Gladness Character Analysis

Overview

Hai, the nineteen-year-old protagonist of Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness, is a Vietnamese American man who carries the weight of addiction, grief, and inherited trauma. After dropping out of Pace University and falling into opioid dependency, he walks to King Philip’s Bridge in East Gladness with the intent to drown himself. Interrupted by the elderly Lithuanian woman Grazina, Hai tentatively accepts her offer of shelter and slowly rebuilds his life through caregiving and a job at the HomeMarket fast-casual restaurant. His arc transforms him from a young man who believed he had nothing left into someone who chooses survival, connection, and the messy work of staying alive.

Plot Role

Hai serves as the novel’s central consciousness. The story follows his subjective experience from before the suicide attempt through the following months, ending after Grazina is taken to a care facility and Hai gives his savings to his cousin Sony. Nearly every event is filtered through his perception: his flashbacks to childhood, his lies to his mother, his drug relapses, and his growing bond with Grazina and the HomeMarket crew. Through Hai, Vuong explores how small acts of care can interrupt self-destruction, and how memory and loss shape identity.

Motivations and Traits

Hai’s primary motivation is survival, though for much of the novel he does not fully believe he deserves to live. He is deeply introspective and observant—he tells Grazina his skill is “looking at things and considering them”—yet this same self-awareness produces shame and paralysis. He lies habitually to his mother, fabricating a medical school career to give her hope after his grandmother’s death. His loyalty surfaces in actions: he steals money from Grazina’s tin to help Sony bail out Aunt Kim, returns the money when he miscounts, and later empties his bank account to free her. He is also fragile: he relapses twice, hides Dilaudid, and at one point lies on ice calling for his dead grandmother. Hai’s defining trait is his capacity for tenderness even while feeling fragmented. He tells Sony his ghost is “in pieces, caught in all the spots where I snagged myself,” yet he continues to show up—for Grazina, for Sony, for the HomeMarket crew.

Chronological Arc

Hai’s arc moves from despair to tentative hope. He arrives at the bridge suicidal, is pulled inside by Grazina, and begins a daily routine of caring for her dementia. Financial strain leads him to apply at HomeMarket, where he reunites with his cousin Sony. Over the months he works alongside Maureen, BJ, Russia, and Wayne. He relapses after 47 days of sobriety, then again later. He plays “Sergeant Pepper” to calm Grazina’s war flashbacks. He takes her on a scooter ride, learns her history as a WWII refugee, and receives the money from her tin. He attempts to bail out Aunt Kim but miscounts, returns the money, then later succeeds after Grazina is taken. He visits Grazina in the nursing home, breaks down in the snow, and calls Sony to watch Gettysburg. He travels to Vermont with Sony, Maureen, BJ, and Grazina to find his uncle’s grave. After Grazina is forced into Hamilton Home, Hai gives Sony the money and climbs into a dumpster, then walks to HomeMarket. The final chapter finds him whispering Lithuanian words and reflecting on waste and care, having chosen to keep drifting rather than sink.

Relationships

  • Grazina: She saves Hai’s life and becomes his surrogate grandmother. She renames him “Labas,” shares her owl collection, and teaches him that “observing” is a skill. In turn, Hai becomes her caregiver and plays along with her dementia delusions. Their bond is sealed when she says “Tu esi mano draugas” (you are my friend). Hai later tells her he is a “liggabit” (LGBT), and she accepts him without judgment.
  • Sony: Hai’s younger cousin, who works with him at HomeMarket. Sony is neurodivergent, fixated on the Civil War, and deeply loyal. Hai feels guilt for failing to protect Sony from bullies as a child. They share memories of their trip to Stonewall Jackson Museum. Hai gives Sony the money to free Aunt Kim and move out of the halfway house.
  • His Mother: Hai lies to her constantly to spare her pain. He pretends to be in medical school, calls her from rehab, and avoids visiting her on Tết. Their relationship is defined by distance and deferred truth.
  • Noah: Hai’s deceased friend, likely a romantic interest. He wears Noah’s UPS jacket, which he retrieved from Noah’s barn after his funeral. Noah’s death is a grief Hai carries silently until he confesses it to Grazina.
  • HomeMarket Crew: Maureen, BJ, Russia, and Wayne become a makeshift family. Maureen confides in Hai about her breast lump and the death of her son Paul. BJ stands up against the regional manager. Hai shares cigarettes with Russia and listens to his stories.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  • Not jumping off the bridge: This initial choice, prompted by Grazina’s intervention, sets the entire plot in motion. Hai accepts her offer of shelter and begins to build a new life.
  • Accepting Grazina’s room: He chooses daily caregiving over isolation, which gradually restores a sense of purpose.
  • Lying to his mother: He maintains the medical school fiction to protect her from his failures. This lie becomes a burden but also a form of love.
  • Relapsing on Dilaudid: After 47 days sober, he takes pills during a severe dementia episode. The relapse shows his ongoing vulnerability, but he does not give up entirely.
  • Taking money from Grazina’s tin: He steals to bail out Aunt Kim, miscounts, and returns the money—demonstrating both his desperation and his integrity.
  • Giving Sony the money: After Grazina is taken, Hai empties his account and gives the combined sum to Sony, allowing Kim’s release and Sony’s new start. This is his most selfless act.
  • Playing Sergeant Pepper: By entering Grazina’s delusion, Hai learns her history and deepens their bond. He also confronts his own fragmented identity.

Theme and Symbol Connections

  • Survival Through Chosen Family: Hai’s survival depends entirely on the connections he forms—with Grazina, Sony, and the HomeMarket crew. The novel suggests that family is not blood but the people who “remember” you. (Link: Survival Through Chosen Family)
  • Memory and Historical Erasure: Hai carries the memory of Noah, his grandmother, and the Vietnam War. Grazina’s dementia literalizes the fragility of memory. The novel asks whether a life that can’t be remembered is still good—Sony answers yes, because “someone else will remember it.” (Link: Memory and Historical Erasure)
  • Trauma and Healing: Hai’s addiction and suicide attempt stem from unprocessed trauma. Healing is not linear—he relapses, but he also keeps showing up. Grazina’s war trauma surfaces in hallucinations. (Link: Trauma and Healing)
  • Deception and Truth: Hai’s lies to his mother are both harmful and protective. The novel exposes the gap between appearance and reality: the corn bread is actually vanilla cake mix, the “home” in HomeMarket is performative. (Link: Deception and Truth)
  • Beauty in Decay: Hai finds beauty in the ruined town, the dumpster, the frozen grocery store. The novel insists that grace exists amid ruin—like the migration of salamanders across a parking lot. (Link: Beauty in Decay)

5 Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Hai wear Noah’s UPS jacket throughout the novel?

The jacket is a tangible link to Noah, a friend who died and whose funeral Hai was not invited to attend. Hai retrieved the jacket from Noah’s barn after the funeral. Wearing it keeps Noah’s memory close and marks Hai’s unresolved grief. He loses the jacket near the end of the novel, symbolizing a shift in how he holds the past.

2. What is the significance of Grazina’s owl collection?

The owls represent freedom and resistance—Grazina insists that every owl was made in a free country, none from communist states. They also serve as a calling card and a comfort object. Hai’s acceptance into her world involves accepting the owls, and he later uses owl salt-and-pepper shakers to tell her about Noah.

3. Why does Hai lie to his mother about being in medical school?

He lies to protect her from the truth of his dropout and addiction, especially after the recent death of his grandmother. He needs her to have “feverish hope.” The lie sustains their relationship at the cost of authenticity, and Hai struggles to sustain the performance.

4. What does the “liggabit” scene reveal about Hai and Grazina’s bond?

When Grazina, in a dementia haze, calls Hai a “liggabit” (LGBT), Hai admits he is gay. Grazina accepts this without hesitation, calling him a “liggabit soldier.” The scene reveals Hai’s vulnerability and Grazina’s unconditional acceptance, cementing their friendship. It also shows how the novel normalizes queer identity within the context of care.

5. How does Hai’s arc end in the novel?

After Grazina is taken away and he gives Sony the money, Hai climbs into a dumpster, calls his mother, whispers Lithuanian words, and says he is “drifting.” He then walks to HomeMarket, where Sony tells him he’s off shift. The final lines show Hai asking if Sony will be okay and then walking away. The ending is ambiguous but hopeful—Hai is still alive, still present, still choosing to drift rather than drown. (Link: Ending Explained)

For further discussion, see the Questions and Answers page.