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How violence is used as a tool in literature
How violence is used as a tool in literature
How violence is used as a tool in literature
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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz paints the life and death of its protagonist, Oscar Wao, as narrated by his foil and friend, Yunior. Junot Díaz creates dual character arcs that portrays both Oscar and Yunior’s coming of age stories as they function within one another throughout the novel. These defined maturation moments can be seen throughout the execution of each character’s goals, and the lessons that both Oscar and Yunior teach each other throughout the narrative. Oscar Wao, described as a Dominican boy cast from Dominican hypermasculinity, spends his entire young life chasing after girls, and pursuing futile love affairs. Oscar arguably sees his retribution immediately before his death after he loses his virginity. The …show more content…
While Oscar serves as an antithesis to manly Dominican nature, Yunior fully encapsulates every aspect of it. Díaz describes Yunior as an unfaithful man who has rampant and meaningless sex with many women and can “bench 340 pounds,” further emphasizing Yunior’s masculinity (170). Though Yunior can be identified as a rather unfeeling character, Oscar teaches Yunior many lessons about alternative forms of manhood that Oscar possesses and Yunior does not. Yunior finds himself influenced by Oscar’s nonviolent ways with women. While Oscar is inserted into Yunior’s life, it becomes apparent that many of Oscar’s shortcomings include everything that Yunior takes pride in lacking. These weaknesses include, emotional instability, faithfulness, sincerity, and being overweight. Yunior’s nature forces him to combat the existence of Oscar’s obvious shortcomings within his own life by maintaining a competitive edge, working out profusely, and continuing to hit on women and sleep with them. Yunior accepts an offer to room with Oscar at Rutgers as a favor to Oscar’s sister Lola, whom Yunior hopes to romance. At first, Lola seems to be Yunior’s only goal, leaving Oscar as a means to Yunior’s end goal of seducing Lola. However, Yunior is a playboy, a foil to Oscar, and recognizes Oscar’s “un-Dominican” nature (11). Yunior recognizes Oscar’s inability to fit in and takes Oscar under his wing. Yunior offers Oscar advice on how to get girls though he too believes that Oscar is too fat and nerdy to get a girl. Oscar becomes Yunior’s project after Yunior’s girlfriend, Suriyan, dumps him. Here, Yunior’s priorities shift and his coming of age begins to function within Oscar’s life and
To Live is both controversial and impactful in a cultural sense and the character development respectively. The author thoughtfully addresses the motif death throughout the novel and demonstrates how the motif affects the protagonist, Fugui’s character development. The moment when Long Er is executed in his presence changes his character and allows him to realize how fortunate he is to be alive, changes his outlook in life, and impacts the way he sees life at the end of the novel in contrast to the beginning of the novel.
Mina meets Demetrius, an African American carpet cleaner, after a car accident. Smitten by Demetrius' smashing good looks, Mina is immediately attracted to him, something her father, Jay, intensely objects to. His wife respects current times a bi...
We may believe were not in no form of isolation from a single thing but we are all in isolation without notice. In the book “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar wao” by Junot Diaz, he shows isolation in every character in a very distinct way but still not noticeable. Throughout the Brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao, Diaz conveys that there is isolation in every person through his characters that are all different in personalization but are still isolated from something.
Love and Violence The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz covers the issue of Love and Violence thoroughly throughout the book, and shows how anger and love influence the impulsive and reckless decisions the characters make. Searching for Zion, by Emily Raboteau on the other hand, shows that love comes in different forms and may be easily misunderstood. Abelard, Belicia, Lola, and Emily show love can be a devastating force if not handled carefully and, can be very dangerous. As others commonly have, Oscar confuses passion or lust with love, which in many ways can be critical when conveyed in violence.
Junot Diaz’s novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is focused on the hyper-masculine culture of the Dominican, and many argue that his portrayal of the slew of women in the novel is misogynistic because they are often silenced by the plot and kept out of the narration (Matsui). However, Diaz crafts strong women, and it is society that views them as objects. The novel recognizes the masculine lens of the culture while still examining the lives of resilient women. In this way, the novel showcases a feminist stance and critiques the misogynist culture it is set in by showcasing the strength and depth of these women that help to shape the narrative while acknowledging that it is the limits society places on them because of their sexuality
All played a major role in the man and as a result, Yunior did what others told him or expected him to do, at the cost of his own ambitions. He became just like Rafa and Ramon! “Sucios of the worst kind and now it’s official: you are one, Diaz closes the book with a tragic ending with the last chapter “The Cheaters Guide to Love,” Yunior’s life and progression from young immigrant learning English from Sesame Street to a middle aged man reflecting on an empty life and deteoriating health. At this point he is on the journey from boy to man and realizes the error of his womanizing ways. Karma, has finally come back around and the pain from Yunior’s heart break sends him into depression and emotional rock bottom. “When realizing that in your lying cheater’s heart that sometimes a start is all we ever get.” (Diaz, pg.
Yunior struggles with personal acceptance, due to his father not completely accepting him. Papi struggles with being the head of a lower class family. Both of their personal conflicts with themselves and their conflicts with each other set the theme of “Fiesta, 1980.” Junot Diaz depicted a scenario a plethora of individuals know all too well. Both Yunior and Papi love each other, both have strange ways of showing it. The conflict of Man vs. man within this story shows that no matter the age, an internal struggle can greatly affect the people around you.
In the novel, Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, a boy goes through many more experiences than any child in the hot summer days in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He witnesses the deaths of his close friends and family. This boy expresses his emotions and grief through his dreams, only to wake up with fear and confusion in his mind. Antonio’s life is filled with dreams that foreshadow future incidents, as well as influences Antonio’s beliefs of religion and ideas of innocence.
Junot Díaz’s Drown, a collection of short stories, chronicles the events of Yunior and his family. Each story focuses Yunior and his struggle growing up as a Dominican immigrant and finding a place for himself within American society. Throughout the progression of the novel, Yunior realizes the stereotypes placed on him and recognizes that being white is advantageous. Yunior’s experience growing up both in the Dominican Republic and the States has shaped his perspective on life and life choices.
“Papi pulled me to my feet by my ear. If you throw up— I won 't, I cried, tears in my eyes, more out of reflex than pain” (307). As this scenario presents violence, it displays innocent Yunior’s response towards his abusive father as he pulls Yunior’s ears. In the short story Fiesta 1980, Junot Diaz depicts the life of young Yunior as he struggles with his Dominican family issues. Yunior was picked on the most in the family, especially from his dad. As Poor Yunior was the victim of his dad’s affair with a Puerto Rican woman, it affected him psychologically. Yunior suffers from the fact his beloved mother is being cheated on; therefore, he vomits as he rides his dad’s van, as his first ride in the van is linked to his first meeting with
The short story “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie” by Junot Diaz is the main character, Yunior’s, guide to dating girls of different races and the ways to act in order to get what you want from them. The only thing Yunior seems to want for these girls is sexual acts. This short story argues that a person’s heritage, economic class, and race affect how a person identifies themselves, and how their identity affects how they act towards other people. The pressures a person may feel from society also has an effect on how a person treats themselves and others. The pressure and expectations from society are also what makes Yunior think he needs to have sex with these girls. There are many different occasions of the main character talking and acting differently to other people within the story, such as: to himself, his friends, and the different girls he tries to date.
In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, he tells the story of a Dominican family but mainly about the son, Oscar de Leon. The book opens with the story of Oscar as a child and him having two girlfriends at the same time. The older people in town see him as a ladies man and encourage him. The boy and the two girls all broke up and his life seemed to be on a steady decline since then.
Resistance Throughout The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, set in the late 1900’s, tells the story of Oscar Wao, an overweight Dominican “ghetto nerd”, his mother and rebellious sister who live together in Paterson, New Jersey. Throughout the novel, Diaz incorporates many different stories about each character that show acts of resistance. One of the most prominent stories of resistance in the novel is through Oscar’s mom Beli, who is prompted by a great tragedy, known as the Trujillo curse, to love atomically and thus follow a dangerous path.
to disconnect from each other and their cultural values. Yunior, the narrator, explains how he and his family were immigrants from the Dominican Republic. The lived in New Jersey and were invited to a party in the Bronx in New York City. The father creates disconnection in the family because of his strong connection to his cultural values. His culture taught him to be patriarchal, promiscuous, and authoritative. These qualities, in excessive use, destroyed his family furthermore Yuniors childhood.
In “The Fortune Teller,” a strange letter trembles the heart of the story’s protagonist, Camillo as he to understand the tone and meaning. The author, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, attempts to make the reader believe that the letter is very ambiguous. This devious letter is a symbol of Camillo’s inability to realize that the treacherous deeds he has committed in the dark have finally come to light. This letter will ultimately change his life forever something he never expected. Not thinking of the large multitude of possible adverse outcomes, he reads the letter. Frightened that he has ruined what should have never been started, he broods over his decision to love a married woman. In light of this, Camillo continues his dubious love affair with his best friend’s wife, unconvinced that he will ever get caught. “The Fortune Teller” focuses on an intimate affair between three people that ends in death due to a letter, and Camillo will not understand what the true consequences that the letter entails until he is face to face with his best friend, Villela.