Junot Diaz's Authentic Writing Style

What I found the most interesting in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is how honest the author (Junot Díaz) is and how doesn’t hold anything back from the readers. 

The book starts off by talking about how America illegally invaded the Dominican Republic which could easily ostracize many readers (who believe this book will be about how terrible the United States is). Later in Chapter 1, the author talks about Oscar’s “’anti-pussy devices’” (20) and how he “was supposed to be pulling bitches with both hands” (24). There are many less vulgar other ways Díaz could have said that Oscar had nerdy glasses and was expected to be sexually active with women; nevertheless, he said it the way that it would have been said in his Dominican community. In addition, I love how the book randomly includes phrases in Spanish without even italicizing then. At first I was wondering why the Díaz would do that, but after a little more thought I understood how for Oscar and Lola Spanglish is the language they speak at home. This is especially true when Belicia freaks out at her children and swears Spanish phrases at them like “hija de a gran puta” (which means “fucking son of a bitch”) (60). Finally, I find it fascinating at how informal the footnotes are. In our society, footnotes are used to explain some historical event or explain a topic a little more so the reader can understand it. Sure, the book does use footnotes in these ways; however, it uses them much more informally than one may ever have seen. An example is when Díaz talks about how the Mirabal Sisters were murdered he joking says “In a canefield, of course. And then there bodies were put in a car and a crash was simulated! Talk about a two for one!” (157). This footnote can come off a little disrespectful for Americans as we think about how Díaz describes their deaths in a jovial way. Having said that, I believe that in this time period Dominicans must have been so used to murder that it was just another everyday thing.

 I love that the author does all of this because he keeps his book authentic. Díaz doesn’t sugarcoat anything and tells the story how it actually was (which may be troubling especially in a book as vulgar as this). Growing up as a first-generation American, I can easily relate to Oscar. I grew up in Polish community and Polish was the language we spoke at home. Growing up in an immigrant household can drastically differ from the average American household because many things that are acceptable in an immigrant house (ex. gender roles) are not so acceptable in other households. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao doesn’t hold anything back from the reader and thus, it allows the average reader to understand the characters better and why they acted the way they did.

The de Léon women's inherent power

The women portrayed in the first parts of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao are portrayed as smart and capable, yet almost handicapped by their sexuality. As Latina women of the Dominican Republic, they have societal roles which they are expected to fulfill. They must be good housekeepers, cooks, wives, and mothers, but also are supposed to be sexual beings not afraid to flaunt their bodies. So much of this novel revolves around the relationship between men and women, and author Junot Diaz paints a picture of a culture in which men are in constant pursuit of sex with women who are not supposed to run from it or be selective with their partners, but rather be submissive.  We see this most notably with Lola, Oscar’s sister, and Belicia, his mother.

Despite a short period in Lola’s life where she compromises her individuality for a boy, she stands out in the book as the rebel character who refutes the norms of her society with which she does not agree. Young women are supposed to be sex symbols, but Lola cuts all her hair off and becomes a “punk.” When Belicia, her mother, see’s her new boyish look, even she is horrified. Lola says,

 “The next day my mother threw the wig at me. You’re going to wear this. You’re going to wear it every day. And if I see you without it on I’m going to kill you (59).” 

Shortly after Belicia says this to Lola, Lola throws the wig over the stove burner and it goes up in flames. This is symbolic of Lola rejecting the societal norms that bind her, and makes the reader want to root for her to break free and realize her true potential. A part of her realizes that she is more than just her looks, and despite a brief derailing into the bad relationship, we know that she generally stays true to herself as she grows older thanks to the portion of the book from Oscar’s point of view.

When the book flashes to Belicia’s adolescent years, readers learn that she manipulated her sexuality for attention. When she was in elementary school, she was homely and quiet, mostly keeping to herself. When she reached middle school, however, her body became curvy and womanly, and she couldn’t walk outside without getting the attention of every man in the vicinity. Unlike Lola, though, she didn’t rebut the fact that her looks were her identity. She loved it, and on page 94,  we learn that it signifies a whole new beginning for her.

Telling Beli not to flaunt those curves would have been like asking the persecuted fat kid not to use his recently discovered mutant abilities. With great power comes great responsibility … bullshit. Our girl ran into the future that her now body represented and never look back.

Belicia reacts completely differently from Lola and indulges herself in the Latina vixen stereotype. In both cases, though, readers see the power that lies in female sexuality. Lola rejects it and gets attention for being a nonconformist. Belicia embraces it and everyone knows her for her body. Either way, this book shows that it is hard for women to separate themselves from their looks, and the author makes a point to show how this is especially true in a culture where looks are so intertwined with identity.

From Balaguer to Beli

              Much of this novel is concerned with how power flows between the characters. From Balaguer to Trujillo to even Beli, the reader observes characters obsessed with gaining and keeping power, on any scale. But what we have yet to see is a character who can be perfectly responsible with it, in fact the story’s protagonist, and the character the reader is most obviously supposed to sympathize with, Oscar Wao, is probably the most powerless character in the book. All of these characterizations serve to demonstrate that those with power are bound to abuse it.

              Within the first few pages, Diaz is already protesting against the system he sees as being completely responsible for these character’s misfortune. Diaz begins by denouncing the major players, the international criminals (according to Diaz) that the world is already familiar with (or about to become familiar with via Diaz): the European Colonials (1), The American CIA (3), JFK (3), LBJ (4), Trujillo (5), or Balaguer. But then Diaz goes on to detail the lives of the characters and show how abuses of power and its effect on other people are not just limited to governmental or bureaucratic institutions. Oscar’s first love triangle between him, Marizta, and Olga illustrates a complex dynamic that none of them know how to properly handle. It appears at first that Oscar possesses the most power in this dynamic, mostly because he is the only male, but Marizta successfully manipulates him into breaking both Olga’s heart and his own. This theme continues into Oscar’s adolescence. And as anyone can tell you, nowhere in the world, in all the governments and international political bodies, is this power complex more severe than in middle school. The tiered system that Diaz describes illustrates the sociopathic desire middle schoolers have to be popular, which is simply a euphemism for power. And Diaz’s characterization make clear that this attitude is no more acceptable in middle school than it is in the White House, but it is nevertheless an aspect of human society that he seeks to critique.

              Both of Beli’s love interests in the DR were both men of immense power. Perhaps Diaz is pointing out that part of what makes the idea of power so dangerous is that those who possess it, despite whatever terrible actions they commit, also then possess an undeniable attractiveness that in some ways may be used to justify their deeds.

To further prove that the quest for power will ultimately result in abuse, Diaz shows how threats to a person’s power, which will always be perceived, will only result in a person tightening their grip. In Lola’s chapter, it seems that the mother is a deranged character intent on oppressing her children, but during Beli’s chapter the reader witnesses a terrifying moment where it would be impossible to judge Beli as a mother the same way afterwards. The reader observes that the humiliation that Beli experienced during the attack scars her and in many ways makes her far more insecure. Firstly, she realizes that she cannot hope to share in her pujol’s or the gangster’s power simply by sleeping with them. Because of this she must seek power on her own. Secondly, the attack makes her immensely insecure, because of the dignity she thinks that she has lost. Even more significant, is that this is also the night that Trujillo has finally perished, but his supporters, just like Beli, will seek to recover that power at any cost, “Trujillo was too powerful, too toxic a radiation to be dispelled so easily” (156).

              Diaz contrasts the power dynamics of the Dominican and American governments with those of the Dominican and American people to show that no matter where power or who possesses it, it is bound to corrupt.

Dominican Masculinity

Dominican masculinity is at the center of Oscar’s problems in the novel. Male success in Dominican society seems to have a strong correlation with the number of girls someone has been with. A fact confirmed when Yunior says it is “against the laws of nature for a dominicano to die without fucking at least once” (174). Oscar’s personal definition of success is similar to this, but Oscar is more concerned with the quality of a relationship rather than quantity. To Oscar girls were “the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, the DC and the Marvel” (173). In other words, women were the most important part of Oscar’s life. His nonexistent love life fails both his standards as well as Dominican society’s, and as a result no one in the novel is able to understand Oscar. Oscar slips in and out of depression in his college years. He’s still unable to communicate his own feelings and eventually tries to kill himself again (190). I think the source of Oscar’s problems is his own failure to meet his own standards and those of Dominican society.

                                                                                        

Most characters in the novel think Oscar needs to change his lifestyle to fit in. Yunior tries to help Oscar with his “problems.” When trying to give Oscar advice, Yunior says “But yourself sucks!” and Oscar replies saying “It is, lamentably, all I have” (174). The word lamentable shows how Oscar realizes he doesn't fit in, but by saying it’s all he has he also acknowledges that he doesn't think he can change. Lola is the one character in the novel who cares about Oscar and doesn't try to change him. I think it is interesting how Lola is also the only other character in the book so far who defies the model of Dominican masculinity. The role of the stereotypical female in the novel is to be subservient to males, but Lola acts as an independent, outspoken woman. Oscar and Lola are similar in the defiance they show in fitting the Dominican stereotypes, but they are both so different at the same time. I think Lola has the attitude of a Dominican male while Oscar’s attitude is more like that of the Dominican female. Looking at the various ways masculinity shapes Oscar’s life helped me understand why he is so discontented and depressed.  

The Interaction Between Culture and Gender Roles

     One of the predominant strengths of Díaz’s novel is how it wholly immerses the reader in a foreign environment, and exposes the different norms, traditions, and ways of a new culture. Through his detailed prose of Dominican values and experience, Díaz successfully suggests “different” should not always warrant a value judgment. Perhaps the most resonant claim in regards to this experience is when Lola warns, “If you didn’t grow up like I did then you don’t know and if you don’t know it’s probably better you don’t judge” (55). This approach can be applied to exploring Dominican norms regarding relationships and gender roles. In the novel, women are constantly objectified and portrayed as submissive to men’s desires. Though at face value these norms manifest into a different model of the dating scene in Dominican culture, Díaz hints at a darker, more violent consequence of these views.

     Beli’s visit to the club El Hollywood offers a firsthand glimpse into the Dominican dating scene. The Gangster confidently approaches Beli in the club, and offers to buy her a drink. She rejects this offer by turning away from him, to which he responds by “[grabbing] her arm, hard, and [saying], Where are you going, morena?” (115). By forcefully grabbing Beli and addressing her simply as “brunette,” the Gangster’s actions illustrate how women are often objectified at the expense of men. Though Beli responds violently, Díaz reveals the common cultural perception of her reaction is insignificant, as “the fight she had with La Inca upon her return was far more significant” (116). By downplaying their first encounter, Díaz suggests the commonplace role of passion and violence in the Dominican dating scene. This is why we ultimately find Beli back in the club, and “before you know it she was standing over his table” (118). The contrast between the initial encounter and this scene illustrates a different dating scene than we are used to, where the objectification and gendering of women at the expense of men is seen as a standard. This view is complemented by the townspeople’s complacent perception of the Gangster, in that “No one in Baní knew exactly who the Gangster was and what he did … but it was enough that he was a man” (127).

     However, though objectification and gendering of women is seen as standard in the Dominican dating scene,  Díaz suggests there is a darker, more tragic side to these worldviews. Beli is consistently objectified throughout the course of the narrative, as she is “grabbed” (115), and people are “twisting her arm” (141) and “slapping cuffs on her wrist” (143). These terms convey a clear power relationship between men and women, as the Gangster’s actions suggest males enjoy a wholly superior status to women. Though the Gangster’s actions turn violent and dangerous, Beli’s thoughts reveal a more tragic side of Dominican norms regarding gender roles. Kidnapped by the Gangster’s henchmen, Beli still “believed in the Gangster” (143) and “maintained the fool’s hope that her Gangster would save her” (147). Beli’s romantic hopes sharply contrast with men’s treatment of women in the novel. Though Beli and Oscar continue to believe in romantic ideals, the reality of their culture suggests the two are incompatible.

Quotation marks or the lack thereof

Something that I found intriguing about the style of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is that Diaz never places quotation marks around quotes. Additionally, he does not follow the typical rules of composition when he includes multiple quotes from different characters in the same paragraph rather than beginning a new paragraph when a new character speaks. Why does Diaz vary the structure so much and why doesn’t he follow the typical rules for quotes?

First, I think that Diaz has intentionally neglected to utilize quotation marks in his writing in order to place emphasis not on the words being spoken but the ideas surrounding the situation as a whole. For example on page 14 when Oscar is interacting with Maritza and Olga, Diaz writes, “One day after school Maritza cornered Oscar behind the swing set and laid down the law, It’s either her or me!” In this case, the paragraph as a whole is supposed to focus on the fact that Oscar was a “player” who “dated” two girls at once when he was young. It does not really matter exactly what the girls said and in order to remove emphasis from this, there are not quotes around the phrase Maritza says, nor is the quote separated from the paragraph. In doing this, Diaz is able to condense his ideas into small sections of one or two paragraphs rather than spanning over many pages.

Additionally, not using quotation marks and throwing everything into a single paragraph portrays the novel as very colloquial and laid back. With multiple stories being told in a row, each story easily flows from one to another. When reading the book, it is as if someone is speaking to the reader directly in a casual conversation. The characters are far from proper, using a lot of slang and vulgar language as seen when one word is used in at least six dozen instances throughout the book (page 12 footnotes for example), and when Diaz ignores what is usually considered proper grammar, this concept of informality is further portrayed.

Along the lines of informality, the story is told from the perspective of Yunior. Yunior is a rather lazy, sex obsessed, college student. Consequently, he is not proper either and would not care to take the time to make the writing proper. In fact, he is a writer, but is much less passionate about it than Oscar. Being less interested, his writing would not be as good as Oscar’s so it is possible that Diaz wanted the book to be less grammatically structured to portray how Yunior would have written it himself.

Overall, it really stood out to me that Diaz did not use quotes nor did he separate paragraphs according to different speakers and because I noticed it so much, I think it is a significant detail of the novel. I think it increases the tone of informality and further connects readers with the narrator, Yunior. Additionally, the emphasis is not on specifics but rather on main ideas.

Are there superheroes in the book?

               A recurring theme in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao that intrigued me was the references and comparisons to comic heroes and villains. One discussion question regarded the four characters and their hypothetical relation to heroes, specifically whether they paralleled comic heroes or not. Oscar is an intriguing character because of the very different attitudes people take towards him, especially the differences between family versus school and social life. When he is with his sister and mother he is seen as a positive member of the family who doesn’t really fit in anywhere else besides with them. The rest of the world rejects Oscar and all “shudder or cross their arms when he walked near” (23). He is simply viewed as “a loser with a capital L” (17). This leads me to classify Oscar as the “unreliable sidekick” (think Robin/Incrediboy)- the hero that no one takes seriously or has any faith in, except for perhaps a few close friends.

                Belicia’s story so far somewhat resembles a comic storyline: the rough upbringing, the brush with near-death, and the unique personality. These factors lead me to put her in the “antihero” category (think Wolverine/Punisher), someone who does what is right but is rough around the edges, does not get along with others, and who uses questionable methods. She is adamant about keeping her family together, to the point of using her cancer as a means to trick her daughter into coming to her aid (70). She is also a firm believer in her rights as an independent person. Belicia backs this belief up using excessive physical force, such as when the gangster touches her arm and she “threw her drink, her glass, and then her purse at him- if there had been a baby nearby she would have thrown that too” (115). Yet these methods do not detract from her inner values, which are exemplified when she tells Lola “just know that I would die for you” (72).

                Yunior was another easy comparison for me, for his story so far is completely one of the “mercenary” superhero/superhuman (think The Comedian/Deathstroke). This type is motivated not by morality, but by their own independent needs and desires. Abelard shows this when he decides to leave Oscar, saying that “I’d never seen him more unhappy, but there was a part of me that didn’t care” (189). Also, his initial move-in with Oscar can’t really qualify as a heroic act since it was either Oscar or “live at home or on the street” (170). It is possible that he is forming a moral connection over time however, judging by his decision to move back in with Oscar at the end of the chapter.

                Other, less supported, comparisons that I made include Lola to the “apprentice/superhero in training”, someone who never measures up to her expectations of her superiors. La Inca also seemed to me to be a translation of Obi Wan from Star Wars: the old, flawed mentor who fears the regime and loses their pupil (Belicia). I think these comparisons are important because they help to connect with the characters, which I find especially important in this novel because I know so little about Dominican Republic culture or history.

Mother vs. Daughter

            The relationship between a mother and daughter is never perfect. There will be a time of tension and disapproval. For many, this tension fades as the daughter matures and grows up, establishing her own beliefs and making a life for herself. In this novel though, the relationship between Lola and Belicia has always been full of tension and will remain this way for the rest of their lives. The two don't seem to see eye to eye. Lola can never get things right with her mother. The reason for this is that Belicia doesn’t want Lola to end up just like she did: a single mother of two dying of cancer and still heartbroken from the deceitful loves of her younger, lustful days.

            Lola realizes that she and her mother have a lot in common. They both have big personalities and can’t hold their tongues to save their lives. As a young girl, Belicia thought about boys all of the time. She wanted to be loved, to be cared, for by someone other than La Inca. She found the desire she was searching for in intimate relationships with powerful men. They made her feel special; she thought they would get married and have a happy family eventually. This ended up getting her in trouble and leaving her lonely and distressed, first with Jack Pujols then with the Gangster. Still, Belicia knew that as a woman in the Dominican Republic, she had to put herself out there for new experiences and heartbreak. She ends up confessing to Lola, “All I wanted was to dance. What I got instead was esto…” (113). Nothing turned out as planned in Belicia’s life, and as she sees the same things happening to Lola, she lashes out.

            Even though Belicia has good intentions for her daughter, she ends up pushing her into rebellion. Lola feels just as powerless as Belicia once felt. In order to gain power, Lola follows her heart. She explains, “Yes, the wildness was in me, yes it kept my heart beating fast all the long day, yes it danced around me while I walked down the street… but I was still scared” (58). As Lola takes control of this “wildness”, she does things similar to what Belicia once did. She falls in love with Aldo, or more so the idea of him, and runs away to be with him. All she can say of him is, “He was like all boys: beautiful and callow, and like an insect he couldn’t sit still” (61). Unlike Belicia, Lola knew to end the relationship when it was no longer serving her. Still, both Belicia and Lola ran away from their lives to feel loved, to gain power from just being with a man.

            What Belicia and Lola both fail to recognize is that a stronger, more positive relationship between the two of them would have made a big difference. Both women would have been able to obtain their desired power if they had come together and used each other as a source of strength. Instead they were a source of contention, depleting one another’s strengths