The Brief Wondrous Life Isis

Throughout Junot Díaz's novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the text poses concerns with narrative viewpoints, familial history of the Dominican Republic, and most importantly, specifies characters. Díaz introduces characters who are present throughout the entire novel, and others who appear only briefly. Isis, in particular, holds a special place in the novel. Before Díaz introduces Isis, we are introduced to many of her family members who maintain family traditions in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. The order of the text enhances our understanding of Isis as a character. Isis stands out as the next generation of her family by living in a familiar place, New York. Isis, a minor character in The Brief Wondrous Life …show more content…

One day Yunior runs across both Lola and Isis in the streets of New York. The following moment, Yunior describes the spitting image that Isis is of the de León family, including her special necklace of three azabaches. "The one that Oscar wore as a baby, the one that Lola wore as a baby, and the one that Beli was given up by La Inca upon reaching Sanctuary. Three barrier shields against the Eye" (329). According to Yunior, the necklace that is wrapped around Isis's neck will be a shield against the eye. The symbolism of the eye is present in that the Trujillo is always watching. He is always looking for those times that he may not agree with what someone does or says, which he will appear. Isis’s necklace represents both the continuity of the de León family tradition with the presence of the strings and the discontinuity of breaking the curse. It is known that when Isis is mentioned in Díaz’s novel, she does not experience any relation with the fukú. Isis’s necklace protects her as a child and is important because the eye is always watching her and whoever it may be, brings luck to her. Isis’s necklace brings a sign of relief to her family that they no longer have to worry about dealing with the …show more content…

Throughout Díaz’s novel, males show dominance over women in the Dominican Republic. From the beginning, men in the Dominican Republic shared stories of terrible male dictators, including the Trujillo, and the abuse they placed on women. Men began to heap on women and throughout history, have continued to treat women unfairly. In response, women in the Dominican Republic are targeted by male’s dominance because the continuing of history. Lola, Isis's mother, grew up with a rough upbringing. Lola narrates her past in a way that shows how abusive and aggressive her mother Beli is because she had no father. Lola talks about a life she only wished for and explains, "I was fourteen and desperate for my own patch of the world that had nothing to do with her. I wanted the life that I used to see when I watched Big Blue Marble as a kid..." (55). Lola refers to the Big Blue Marble, a television show that contained stories about children and encouraged intercultural communication. Lola describes the barrier of living in the Dominican Republic and wanting something more. When Isis is introduced in Díaz’s novel, she enhances the moment of Lola referring to her past. This moment also enhances the plot because it is shown how Lola ends up treating her own daughter. Isis is given a life that her mother did not have as a child;