From the beloved and award-winning author Junot Díaz, a spellbinding saga of a family’s journey through the New World. Near the end of the story, Yunior says, “You know how it is when you get back with somebody you’ve loved” (Diaz, Aurora 64). Nonetheless, although Loretta is more self-centered than Girlfriend, she still relies on a man in her search for a better life. We learn that Yunior has been vomiting lately in the car whenever he eats before going in his father’s new Volkswagen. All he can do is tolerate what life brings and deal with the changes as they come. Yunior already states that he needs Rafa, but Rafa never admits to that. Change ). However, by the end of the story, Girlfriend undergoes both a physical and internal transformation. Junot Diaz’s short story “Drown” December 7, 2015 Uncategorized drown, friends, helpless, poverty Annie Wu In Junot Diaz’s short story “Drown,” we meet Yunior, a high school drug dealer who lives in poverty with his mother in a Housing Authority Apartment. Our father’s there too!” revealing how there is a collective identity between those who have family members who have left home in the hopes of establishing themselves in the United States. – Sarahi De La Torre. Yunior expresses difficulty in obtaining his father’s approval and love. From the start of the story the readers are given a sense of authority through the father as his stern disposition makes the reader believe he is the man of the house and takes that role very serious. Rather than attempting to create a better life for himself and Aurora, he convinces himself that together they don’t fit the picture of a normal family. Through the voice of Yunior, the narrator throughout the majority of the stories, Diaz places the blame for Yunior’s negativity and rebellious nature on the disappointment caused by his father and the childhood illusion of America. Notably, “Aurora” also means the dawn or sunrise. Fragmented Masculinity: A Critical Analysis of Junot Diaz’s Drown; Public and Private Spheres in Drown ; Trying to Swim, or at Least Float; Masculinity Complexes in Junot Diaz’s "Drown" Yunior and Rafa show respect by accepting the abuse from their father. The title, “Drown”, could refer to the overwhelming-ness of this transition. The position of the father as the man of the hose means he should be able to control his family as they are a reflection of himself and in his own way is only trying to look out for his and make him appear to better than he is. It was clear to me right away that the speaker of “Boyfriend” is still in love with his ex-girlfriend Loretta. His reaction seemed cold and indifferent toward Aurora’s action, and this made me wonder if he had done it out of love, pity, or both. The audience is allowed glimpses into this sentiment especially when he discusses her art and his dreams of being with her forever. Yunior insults him off to the side by calling his father “a dick,” revealing this border between the father-and-son relationship and the distance of compassion towards each other. One of the borders that we see is the border between the narrator and his brother, Rafa. The title is obviously significant, as the whole collection takes the title of this story. Perhaps it’s because he’s the only father Yunior will ever have or because he wants to protect the delicate integrity of their family. Drown by Junot Diaz by Criticisms Viva la Revolución Portrayal of women "Miss Lora was too skinny. The story begins with Yunior being punished for eating against his father Papi’s strict order to not eat as they were going to head to a family party. In the story Drown we witness get into illgeal activities so he This impression continues on as he silenced Yunior’s mom as she tries to speak with him, emphasizing a border of understanding and communication between the parents. This is illustrated when he yells at Yunior for eating because they were on their way to a party and how Yunior then proceeds to vomit in the car on the way to said party and is then prohibited by his father to go near the food at the party. It incites people’s ugliness inside and evokes their curiosity (like Rafa and his brother), which indeed hurts Ysrael more. He was just sad that he could not feel that void in his life that came from Loretta leaving him. The story “Aurora” shows the conflict between ideals and reality. Through Yunior and the Girlfriend’s seemingly different stories proving to be uncannily alike, Diaz asserts that all people go through simple variations of situations. Or are we dancer? Through the wondrous workings of peer pressure and adrenaline, humans find themselves acting as puppets, often in ways that conflict with their values. This ultimately allows for the reader to be more engaged with the events that are occurring. Hello Select your address Kindle Store Hello, Sign in. A powerful scene later occurs at the climax of the family party when the children were grabbing food. At home, the two are bickering constantly, but at the campo, they’re the best of friends. In the short story “Ysrael” Junot Diaz writes about two boys with a quest to see a young boy who had his face destroyed by a pig when he was a small child. How could they ever have this perfect life if he’s hitting her? Yunior mentions that Rata moves “out of the way every time Papi was going to smack him” due to potential “collateral damage.” The image of brotherhood is generally known as brothers always helping each other in times of need, but for Yunior’s case, Rafa is portrayed as a brother who’s only interest is helping himself. Junior is becoming a man in this story, an overwhelming and occasionally terrifying prospect. In “Fiesta, 1980” Yunior gets in trouble for eating before going to the family party. Ocoa, as it is colloquially called, is the capital of the province of the same name. Metaphorically, it can be compared to the withdrawal symptoms of drug addicts. Analysis Of Drown By Junot Diaz 1064 Words | 5 Pages “Drown” by Junot Diaz. Yunior seems to resent moving countries because of the way his family dynamic has altered as a result of it. Yunior was also the narrator in Diaz's first novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in 2007. The theme of this story is “in order to move on, you must be powerful and let the past go.” The narrator and Girlfriend discover this theme during their coffee meet. He is comparing his downstairs’ neighbors Boyfriend and Girlfriend to his own relationship. The town is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) by road from Santo Domingo. Aurora by Junot Diaz Summary Pages: 5 (1121 words) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz – A Literary Analysis Pages: 5 (1087 words) The Oedipal Conflict in Junot Díaz, “Fiesta, 1980” Pages: 4 (940 words) Experience of Youth in Junot Diaz’s Story Pages: 5 (1041 words) The lack of affection and parenting from his father leads Yunior to go down a wayward road, showing a potential consequence of creating emotional barriers between family members. The protagonist is a successful drug dealer who seems to be in love with a homeless addict named Aurora. Diaz, in the beginning of the story, introduces Yunior’s role as some dealer of sorts (smoke, weed, what you will). In “Boyfriend” I thought that the protagonist defined a border rather than crossed one. The narrator himself could be gay (or bisexual or even just curious) as he doesn’t reject the passes made by Beto. Although they both have different relationships, they are similar in the way that they are suffering through some sort of loss where they are inferior to their significant others. This book should be studied by any reader, whose life like many others’, grew up without the attention and affection of a father. Through the collection of short stories, the author is transmitting a message about male subjectivity and privilege. When Rafa and his brother finally take off Ysrael’s mask, they first feel disgusted and then perhaps sorry or guilty for him. What Rafa is saying symbolically, I think, is that the society will always look at Ysrael differently and then isolate him because of it. In the short story “Boyfriend,” the narrator identifies two types of borders between Boyfriend, Girlfriend, and himself. Yunior’s Sharply-Emotional Internal Life. Throughout the story, the narrator is describing what is pretty much a typical outing with his family and it is anything, but a “Fiesta”. The story broke down the borders between people’s situations and illustrated just how much people had in common, despite what they look like on the surface. Through this event, there was an obvious shift in the tone where everything became a lot more serious. Although the father was abusive and overall a huge jerk, he allowed for the protagonist to reveal a more emotional side for himself. I would have imagined that Yunior, as a young child, would be more outspoken and have more tantrums like the one he threw when he demanded to know where his father was, but in all he seems to have grown up resigned to his life. While Yunior discusses all of his family’s issues, he does not seem to explicitly complain about the conditions he is facing. In this story, there is this boy named Ysrael who have to wear a mask to cover his face partially rated by a pig. “Not since she put some scratches on my arm. Both the speaker and Aurora were trapped in between doing what they knew was right and doing what made them felt good. Usually some element of growing up is seeing your parents as people, complex and imperfect, rather than idealized, flawless figures. Reading the story from a literal and factual standpoint, No Face becomes a victim in despair, abandoned by all people. In Drown, a collection of short stories, author Junot Diaz presents readers with an impoverished group of characters through harsh, but vivid language. The very first story in the collection, “Ysrael,” is scattered with both delicacy and violence as the narrator recounts the summer in which he and his brother Rafa hunted down the disfigured Ysrael character. Every time Yunior is in the ostentatious vehicle, he begins feeling sick and eventually throws up. This type of family dynamic is common in countries that recognize traditional roles, where men are superior and women and children trail behind. Her smoking in the bathroom and me dealing to the groom.” In addition, he physically abuses Aurora and others, in an attempt to mask his true pain. She tells him at the beginning of the story that Beto, Yunior's old friend, is back in town. This distinction illustrates how perspective can completely change situations. H He received his MFA from Cornell University in 1995, where he wrote most of his first collection of short stories. One of the events in which this was evident was when Yunior’s father did not allow him to eat during dinner. Regardless, selection of detail, character voice, and dark tone made this piece into one that I found personally interesting. You can tell this is the case when at the end of the story he tells Girlfriend that her new short hair looks fierce, she smiles, and he says, “That’s exactly what I wanted.” His goal was to help this woman, even though he didn’t know her, he took time out of his day to make her smile and to make her feel better. The second border is emotional, and is displayed through the name Boyfriend and Girlfriend. Either way, Ysrael’s experience permanently leaves a mark on him and sets the wall between him and others. Junot Diaz’s first book was Drown. It is also interesting to think that, if Ysrael is wearing a visible mask in order to be more acceptable, then do other characters in the society wear an invisible mask to try to fit in this society as well? Ramon’s dream was to own his own business and provide for his family, which he achieves to a certain degree. Rather than accept the breakup and move on, Girlfriend allows Boyfriend treat her like an object, humiliating herself for a man who does not love her back. She wanted a promise from the speaker that he would love her unlike anyone else, yet knowing he could not offer the kind of love she wanted, she still went back to him asking for a company. A coming-of-age story of unparalleled power, Drown introduced the world to Junot Díaz's exhilarating talents. “Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more … In “Drown”, through the voice the narrator of the stories Yunior, the author Junot Diaz greets the readers with a seemingly. Always getting into trouble, Aurora consistently finds herself with the wrong crowd of people (ironically, worst than Yunior’s already suspicious gig), but despite several warnings from his friends, Yunior finds himself always gravitating back towards her. Yunior could also be affected by Mami because while Papi wasn’t in their lives Mami had to do everything possible so Yunior and his brother would have everything needed for example food,clothes and water etc. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The main plot is about Yunior’s friendship with Beto. In addition, he refuses to go to a wedding with Aurora, pondering, “Why can’t I see us there? The book centers around an immigrant family from the Dominican Republic. A story that I found interesting was “Fiesta, 1980”. He is often frustrated by how hard he works with little return and little wealth to show for it. Oh dang, I did the wrong story! Sometimes we cannot explain the decisions we make, we ignore the voice in our head to follow the feeling in our heart. Read More. She said she wanted to feel strong and that is how she coped with boyfriend leaving her. Throughout the story, the boy is presented in almost a comic book-y way, donning a mask and fighting his foes. No Face’s identity becomes one that is forever contained and limited by his injury. One perspective of it, as No Face himself embraces, is the way that his condition creates a new identity, one of wonder and endless possibility. Yunior de Las Casas is a fictional character and the subject of two short story collections by author Junot Diaz entitled Drown in 1996 and This is How You Lose Her in 2012. While at first Loretta may seem to embody independence, she only cares about money and is willing to do anything to achieve that goal. Junot Diaz’s “Fiesta, 1980,” portrayed the existing borders within relationships in families and how these borders placed a strain and distance amongst it characters. The majority of the text focuses on life in New York City and its suburbs. In “Boyfriend”, the narrator compares Boyfriend and Girlfriend’s break-up to his break up with Loretta and, in doing so, highlights the contrasting personalities of both female characters. However, by begging Boyfriend to stay and giving in to sex every time, Girlfriend reveals to be a submissive woman who depends on men for happiness. The withdrawal that Yunior felt towards Aurora was immediately called upon to draw up the same addiction he had to her prior to her time in juvenile prison. The narrator, Yunior, in the story Drown by Junot Diaz is a drug dealer and does not want anyone to recognize him so that he may uphold a positive image. Like his mother, his father would verbally attack Yunior on a daily basis. The story “Fiesta, 1980” presents a multitude of dynamic relationships that exemplify several emotional and familial borders all within the descriptive depiction of a family party. Which makes the title more interesting to me. Junior feels resentment and shame about his encounters with Beto, demonstrating his increased sexual awareness and sensitivity to societal norms. Yunior and his family are first generation immigrants into the United States, where his father is more concerned about his new green van rather than his son’s well-being. From the stand point of the son he struggles with finding acceptance from his father because he is always given the idea that in his current state he is not good enough and will never be. This story is mostly about a young man's personal self-hatred and the shame he has From this you see to positions that create conflict and thus a border is not only created but fortified. She’s surprised that Yunior is not interested in seeing him. No breasts, either, no ass, even her hair failed to make the grade." The two main things the speaker, Yunior, seems to be dealing with is a divide in his family and poverty. A story that hit me particularly hard was the second to last entry: “No Face”. While Aurora was in juvie, she said that she had “made up this whole new life in there … The two of us had kids, a big blue house, hobbies, the whole fucking thing” (65). There seems to exists the border of age and also peer pressure. Yunior first introduced his interactions with Aurora by introducing his lack of interaction with her. Perhaps it is the hope that he will see his father soon that lets him tolerate all his other troubles, such as the poverty that his family is struggling with. He could purposefully let her have everything in the pocket because he felt bad for her. “Aurora” was the Roman goddess of the dawn, and Aurora in the story is perhaps the opposite of that: a junkie who does things so scandalous that they are only suited for the night when no one can see. Most of the time, Yunior’s dad is distant and unsympathetic towards Yunior. At the very end, Yunior and Aurora found themselves inside an apartment, “like [they] were normal folks. Yunior's tía Yrma (Mami's younger sister) and tío Miguel, her husband, live near the town of San José de Ocoa. As Machiavelli states “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” This is especially true of the father who uses fear instead of love establish his role as the head of the family. As whole as society is defined to be, it permits susceptibility of forming barriers between individuals due to various differences. This represents the ideal that many people have, the American dream. In her solitary confinement, this is the thing she thinks of and dwells on. However, when one crosses the border between this idealistic portrayal and reality, one realizes that No Face is not some superhero, but a person that is victimized by the stigma against ugliness and injury. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Yunior remembers the homosexual experiences he and Beto shared a few years ago and is reluctant to see him. This separation symbolizes the social class differences and exploits the idea that the main character will never “be on the same level” as Boyfriend and Girlfriend. Fading now, like you could rub them with spit and they’d go away but when she first put them there, with her sharp-ass nails, they were long and swollen” (Diaz, Aurora 48). The stories are narrated by and the action is seen from the perspective of Yunior, the second son of the family whose life and times are brilliantly outlined in the stories. At the beginning of the story “Boyfriend” the narrator wakes up in the hallway hearing his downstairs neighbors fighting. (Not that he had anything on him but a strand of cat’s cradle string.) The last anecdote, a lot is learned about the two characters’ relationship despite the lack of conversation. It is very ironic that the mask is supposed to make him more acceptable by the society, but indeed it points out Ysrael’s difference from others, creating the border between him and the entire society. Therefore, vomiting is the only way Yunior can release his emotions. Yet after the high, it becomes clear that any addiction is only a temporary solution, if a solution at all. These names create a sense of detachment, it’s almost as if the main character doesn’t want to become emotionally involved with the couple because of his sensitivity towards his past relationship with Loretta. Industrial background of New Jersey and Miami the other, which is why the two characters to deal the! A divide in his father would verbally attack Yunior on a man in her for... Most because we notice the way that Junot Diaz is a successful drug dealer who seems to have it arguments. Miles ) by road from Santo Domingo and the narrator gets very excited and shouts “ no ”. 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