Hai, a 19-year-old son of a Vietnamese immigrant, is the protagonist of the book and the focal point around whom the story revolves. Hai’s family arrived in the United States when he was just two, and he has lived in Connecticut all his life. Vuong presents Hai as a character burdened by grief and guilt over things that he keeps entirely private, even attempting to avoid or escape them himself. Having been exposed to drugs when he was very young, Hai struggles with substance abuse as well as the grief and trauma of having seen numerous people in his life die of drug overdoses. His grief over the death of a man he calls “Noah,” his former lover, remains central to his character growth across the novel.

Vuong reveals Hai’s identity as a gay man through his memories of Noah and a clandestine affair he has with one of the regulars at HomeMarket. Keeping these aspects of his life secret from his family leads to the estrangement and loneliness that catalyze the events of the narrative. He’s never been able to tell his mother the truth about Noah’s death—the real reason he dropped out of college. He continues to lie to her about attending medical school when, in reality, he checks himself into a rehabilitation center, and later attempts death by suicide.  In addition to these secrets that he carries with him, Hai has also been diagnosed with clinical depression, the weight of which grows heavier with the constant shame he feels about lying to his mother, especially when she expresses pride over his success in medical school.

The context of Hai’s grief and mental health history provides insight into Hai’s proclivity to lie self-protectively, foregrounding the text’s thematic exploration of Storytelling and Make-Believe as Tools of Survival. With so much of his life and his struggles kept bottled up inside, Hai constantly seeks out an escape from his reality. Drugs offer him one route, and stories become another. Alongside the lies he tells his mother about his life, he also engages in make-believe with Grazina. While adopting the fictional persona of Sergeant Pepper acts as a way for Hai to help Grazina through her episodes of dementia, it also offers him a brief reprieve from his own life and struggles as well.

Ironically, despite the burdens he carries, it is caring for Grazina and taking responsibility for the people around him that eventually helps Hai confront his grief and guilt. Moving in with Grazina and taking on the role of an unpaid carer provides Hai with much-needed structure and rhythm in his life, as well as accountability, companionship, and community, underscoring the importance of Circumstantial Kinship and Found Family in the text. Throughout the time he lives with her, Hai doesn’t miss a dose of medication or fail to fulfill his responsibilities towards her. He even takes her with him when he accompanies Sony to Brattleboro, not wanting to leave her alone overnight. Hai’s bond with Grazina facilitates his growth across the novel, culminating in the moment he finally opens up to her about his past, making her the first person to know about Noah.

The Emperor of Gladness is Hai’s journey from isolation and despair to community and healing. There are no drastic changes in the material circumstances of his life; by the end of the book, he still has depression, he is still struggling with addiction, and he has still not told his mother the truth about his circumstances. He has, however, learned to care and be responsible for someone other than himself, which includes not only Grazina but his cousin Sony as well. This growth serves as a beacon of hope for Hai at the story’s conclusion. Despite the loss of Grazina, the sadness he still feels, and his fear for his future, Hai’s mother poignantly tells him, “Life is good when we do good things for each other” (396).