Summary
"Amazon History of a Former / Nail Salon Worker" lists out the purchases a woman made in the last months of her life. The first month, March, consists of Advil, nail polish, bleach, hair pins, a handheld mirror, and a T-shirt that reads, "I Love New York" (Line 7). In April, she buys ramen noodle bowls, cotton balls, "Thank You For Your Loyalty" cards, and nail supplies for her business. In May, the list is Advil, Vicks VapoRub, a nail drill, heat patches for pain relief, red lipstick, and Little Debbie Chocolate Zebra Cakes.
In June, the woman buys faux-clay planter pots, condensed milk, nail supplies, a birthday card for her son, and Nike basketball shorts for her son. July's purchases are nail supplies, Nescafé coffee, Advil, and Bengay cream. In August, she buys a floral dress, mint gum, and a blue lawn chair. September is nail supplies and sunblock. In October, she buys a pink fleece blanket, Sleep-Ease melatonin caps, and Icy Hot Maximum Strength pain relief pads. In November, she buys Tampa and Faux-Resin Hair clips. December consists of Advil and Tulip bulbs.
The next purchases are in February: a Healthline Compact Trigger Release Folding Walker and a scented candle. In March and April she buys colorful chemo head scarves, white socks, and a "Warrior Mom" Breast Cancer awareness T-shirt. May consists of only a back brace. In June, she buys a birthday card for her son which reads, "Son, We Will Always Be Together" (Line 66). In July, she buys an urn engraved with a dove and a rose, a picture frame, and lip balm.
The next purchase happens in September: an Easy-Grow Windowsill herb garden. October consists of a customized memorial plaque and navy blue winter coat, size extra-small. The last thing the woman buys is a pair of grey wool socks in November.
Analysis
In the form of a catalog poem, Vuong outlines the character of a mother in her last few months of life. The title, "Amazon History of a Former / Nail Salon Worker," is broken into two lines so that the first just reads, "Amazon History of a Former," signifying her death. Vuong has remarked in an interview with the writer Kat Chow that for as long as our species has been alive, mothers have gone to various markets and made decisions about what will sustain themselves and their families. Specifically, Vuong speaks about the caring that occurs in this project of acquisition.
In the first months of the purchase history, the woman's character begins to take shape through her possessions. Advil becomes an anaphora in the poem; even before knowing of her sickness, the character requires pain relief. Her work at a nail salon is important to her. Apart from various supplies (such as chemicals, polish, and tools), she also buys Thank You For Your Loyalty cards in the first April list of the poem (Line 11). Here the relationship between the former nail salon worker and her clients is evoked. Despite the exchange that occurs (money for a service), there is still something significant in that nail workers bow at the feet of their clients all day.
Objects for curating personal pleasure and beauty also appear in the Amazon purchase history. These include a seafoam handheld mirror, hair pins, red lipstick titled "Night Out Red," chocolate cakes, a floral print dress, a blue lawn chair, tulip bulbs, and a scented candle. Even while undergoing chemotherapy and presumably losing her hair, the woman buys Chemo-Glam cotton head scarves in sunrise pink and flower garden print.
After the hopeful purchase of tulip bulbs in December, the following February's purchase of a portable walker reveals the speed at which the woman's health declines, presumably as a result of cancer and chemotherapy. The following May, she needs a back brace. In general, the purchases begin to decrease from this point on.
The mother's relationship with her son in the poem is conjured through her June purchases, the month of the son's birthday. In the first June list of the poem, she buys him a birthday card with a mother and son pop-up effect and a pair of Nike Elite basketball shorts. Most of the other things she buys are cheaper brands, so the Nike shorts are presumably a gift she is proud to be able to buy for her son. The following June, knowing that she is closer to her death, she buys him a card that reads, "Son, We Will Always Be Together" (Line 66).
There is still a sense of hope in the months close to her death. The woman buys an Easy-Grow Windowsill herb garden in September, with November being the last month of her purchases. The last things she buys in the final two months are a memorial plaque, a navy winter coat, and a pair of grey wool socks. The clothing shows the physical changes she has gone through as a result of the sickness and the chemo. While earlier she was a size small for clothing, here she is an extra small. The grayness of the wool socks is a drain of her earlier colors and patterns: sunrise pink, floral, etc. Through the objects the woman purchases, the poem paints a vivid portrait of her final months of life.
