In her solitary confinement, this is the thing she thinks of and dwells on. Although Yunior had family troubles to deal with, he still craved his family’s affection and attention. When the boys attack him, notice how the text emphasizes “STRENGTH” as he knocks them away, much like a comic book panel. 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. No breasts, either, no ass, even her hair failed to make the grade." 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. In fact, it is a complete fiasco. In the captioned analysis, there argues Junot Diaz’s Drown portrays the idea of fragmented masculinity. Reading the story from a literal and factual standpoint, No Face becomes a victim in despair, abandoned by all people. In this story, there is this boy named Ysrael who have to wear a mask to cover his face partially rated by a pig. The most prominent border is the emotional border between the narrator and his papi. Had no hips whatsoever. Yunior’s mother mentions that his old friend, Beto is coming to town. “Fiesta, 1980” was fascinating to me, and is full of metaphors for a young man’s disgust with the materialism of society around him. His mother is caring and supportive in a quiet way, and Yunior can observe how his father has dominated over her personality just by looking at an old photograph. Sometimes love can be insane. Through his relationship with her, the story explores the layers of his personality from his projected masculinity to his genuine internal sensitivity. Despite the fact that the narrator, Yunior, was the protagonist, a significant character was his father. The two are away from home and all they have is each other, which is why the two don’t physically fight. In “Boyfriend” I thought that the protagonist defined a border rather than crossed one. Yunior seems to resent moving countries because of the way his family dynamic has altered as a result of it. Which makes the title more interesting to me. One of the borders that we see is the border between the narrator and his brother, Rafa. 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. Yunior and his mother live together in a small apartment in Edison, New Jersey. In the short story “Boyfriend,” the narrator identifies two types of borders between Boyfriend, Girlfriend, and himself. “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. Yunior discusses the moment that made his relationship with his mother deteriorate, and even though he quarreled with his brother, he was consoled by the fact that his brother was still there fro him. They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. This mask should keep him away from being mocked and insulted, but it only does worse. 1996. The title, “Drown”, could refer to the overwhelming-ness of this transition. The first chapter, Ysrael, illustrates about the borders that people create around them in their society. Analysis Of Drown By Junot Diaz 1064 Words | 5 Pages “Drown” by Junot Diaz. The narrator says in the last paragraph of the story: “A week from then she would be asking me again, begging actually, telling me all the good things we’d do and after a while I hit her and made the blood come out of her ear like a worm but right then, in that apartment, we seemed like we were normal folks. By the end, though, he is following Rafa’s orders, yielding to his brother’s authority and status and aiding him in the bullying of young Ysrael. Rafa feels better about himself because he has someone beside him, he can’t afford to ruin that. He sometimes goes on little car rides with his dad in order to train himself to not throw up, and these are the few moments when Yunior and his dad get along. It incites people’s ugliness inside and evokes their curiosity (like Rafa and his brother), which indeed hurts Ysrael more. 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. 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. The narrator describes Girlfriend as beautiful and classy– an “untouchable”, too good for him. First, Ramon comes to the United States searching for a better life for his family. From this you see to positions that create conflict and thus a border is not only created but fortified. Yunior expresses difficulty in obtaining his father’s approval and love. A coming-of-age story of unparalleled power, Drown introduced the world to Junot Díaz's exhilarating talents. Despite the abusive relationship the protagonist shares with Aurora, he expresses that he truly loves her. Notably, “Aurora” also means the dawn or sunrise. Throughout the story, he begins to think about different events that happened in the past. As Yunior spots his favorite dishes and grabs a paper plate along with the other children, his father prohibits him from eating firmly stating that if Yunior eats anything, “[he’s] going to beat [him].” At this part, Diaz evokes a feeling of anger towards Yunior’s father and portrays his command as cruel. Junot Diaz’s “Aurora” again discusses the idea of borders within characters. Yunior might have rejected this opportunity because he feels feels pressured to be the man of the house and take care of his mom. 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. Junior is becoming a man in this story, an overwhelming and occasionally terrifying prospect. Fiesta, 1980 initially struck me for the similarities this family seemed to share with my dad’s family. Because that quote did not just refer to the sex they had, it also pointed to the core of their relationship. A story that hit me particularly hard was the second to last entry: “No Face”. I think he is listening so closely to give himself closure or to feel better about the way his relationship ended. ( Log Out /  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. One line that stood out to me seemed like a universal statement describing human nature, “We all do shit like this, stuff that’s no good for you” (Diaz, 50). Junior’s tone towards his mother shifts in this story; instead of admiration for her, he feels pity. I think he is being very nosey however. 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. The title is obviously significant, as the whole collection takes the title of this story. The other perspective is one that sees No Face as a helpless victim, hated by the entire village, except for a small handful of close companions. Her decision to cut her short symbolizes her freedom from an abusive relationship and her journey to independence and courage. 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. He writes, “I’ve learned not to walk around until my eyes got used to the dark…wishing that maybe just this once I’ll feel her soft face on the other side of my fingers instead of some fucking plaster wall.” This line reflects the protagonist’s strong feelings toward her, as though she is the only thing that makes sense in the obscurity that is his life. While Ysrael is a more formidable opponent than Yunior could pose to be, Ysrael is alone, completely alone. Ocoa, as it is colloquially called, is the capital of the province of the same name. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. I’m sure she could tell that he was only using her as a rebound and she was who he went after because he knew she was weak at the time. This building up of unrealistic expectations just leads to more anguish when those expectations are not met. "Drown" is set when Yunior is fresh out of high school, when he is living alone with his mother. He is intimidated and pressured; the primary reason I believe he … No matter how different they are, in looks, class, and general disposition, the break ups end exactly the same for both Girlfriend and Yunior, with them in pain and their partners out with different individuals. Diaz illustrates through this that people’s situations throughout life are more similar than most people think. 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. While a border was placed between father and son, this border encouraged the female figures such as the mother to bond closer with Yunior. In the novel Drown, we witness Yunior go through various problems that range for gay relationships to girlfriend problems. A symbol of this is seen through the floor dividing Yunior and the Girlfriend. Diaz, in the beginning of the story, introduces Yunior’s role as some dealer of sorts (smoke, weed, what you will). Therefore, no matter whether his face will be fixed or not, people will not change. The physical and emotional abuse between in each member of the family is never defined as abuse, but rather as a form of discipline to define one’s hierarchical position within the family. What happens to an innocent child who doesn’t grow up with a father, and that has to hustle to survive? Yunior already states that he needs Rafa, but Rafa never admits to that. Is it possible that some people isolate Ysrael only because others do it, otherwise they will be isolated and become another “Ysrael”? I think this is a common theme with children of immigrants, a struggle to connect with their parents. One important aspect of this story is the relationship between Yunior and Rafa. “Not since she put some scratches on my arm. However, they are able to surpass that border while they are in the campo as they are each other’s only friends. The fact that this is the last line of the story shows their naive hopefulness for a life that’s so different from the one they’re living, but their refusal to accept and deal with the problems they have. A story that I found particularly interesting was “Fiesta, 1980”, particularly because of the selection of detail, parallels to my own life, and the hauntingly dark and emotionally downtrodden tone. 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. 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. Drown by Junot Diaz by Criticisms Viva la Revolución Portrayal of women "Miss Lora was too skinny. 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