“What is a country but a life sentence?”

Little Dog is caught between his American identity and his family’s Vietnamese origins. Lan proves to be the biggest example for this sentiment. The trauma she carried back from Vietnam manifests throughout her life, manifesting in her remembrance of Go Cong burning as she dies of bone cancer.

“You’re a mother, Ma. You’re also a monster. But so am I—which is why I can’t turn away from you. Which is why I’ve taken god’s loneliest creation and put you inside it.”

Little Dog’s letter is “god’s loneliest creation” because its meaning will likely be lost on its intended recipient. Little Dog has a complicated relationship with his mother. He recognizes some of her own flaws in himself; however, rather than monsters, this makes them both human.

“What made a woman who named herself and her daughter after flowers call her grandson dog? A woman who watches out for her own, that’s who.”

Little Dog’s real name never appears in the novel. Lan named him based on a tradition from her village intended to protect the youngest family members from demons. This name helps Little Dog shape his reality in America.