The book begins describing an ancient dominican curse called the Fuku. It then goes on to describe how this curse was responsible for every major downfall in history, including choice events such as the assassination of president Kennedy in 1963. We get the idea that this curse or Omen, will be a central theme in the book, more importantly, its involvement with a character named Oscar Wao. He peeks at a young age, having two girlfriends and then losing both. He then begins to grow large, and becomes a social pariah, due to the fuku curse. I think this book will be largely based on the theme of society's outcast, the effect of the curse on Oscar, and possibly even his redemption.
As I read the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao chapter one, part one, GhettoNerd at the End of the World,I can really relate to how the author is trying to grasp the readers attention. He broke it down to us saying that all because he was Dominican, he wasn't the typical "home- run hitter, fly bachatero and wasn't a playboy with a million hots on his jock. When you think about dominicans, you think otherwise. Junot Diaz started to give a good sense of what the characters in the book are like so far. He gave a great description on how Oscar seems like the laid back, down to earth kind of boy, but then he gave Oscar a more sweet, really caring, cry baby kind of side over Maritza, a girl who made him break up with his other girlfriend to get dump on the following week. He portrays how a break up could really hurt a guy but gives us a bit of foreshadowing to see how things changed as the years go by.
I agree with Francescas view on how the author grasps the attention of the audience. I also agree with how she describes the authors description of Oscar. I like how in the novel the author shows a twist on how fast things can change. In example, it shows how at one moment Oscar was a philanderer in a sense and goes to an overweight disgusting nerd "un gordo asquerso". you never know how quick something can change. one moment Oscar had the whole world in his hands the next he was a loner. A heartbroken loner. He has always been sensitive but since the break up it comes out more. Now hes crying more and in front of whoever.
I completely agree with francesca point of the author instantly grabbing your attention. He portrays what a dominican should be before the first page of the chapter even finishes. A ladies man, a fly bacatero, and a hit in parties This give the reader a sense of what will be going on in the upcoming pages, heartbreak, outcasting, and bullying. These are typical theme we seen or even experienced ourselves giving us reason to read on. As they continue to read they begin to see that Oscar is your everyday average nerd that can be easily related to. A kind misunderstood kid who was the victim of a social standard to his race which cause him is former glory. He transforms from a typical dominican to social pariah a overweight nerd. Junot Diaz gives the readers a spin on the look of dominican boys. They are not all the same which society makes them out to be, not all of them fall under the same beliefs of how they should act. Oscar is sweet and sensitive child rather then masculine and a jock. I think Francesca hit the theme on the head she clearly analyzed it perfectly and show the social lens view of the story so far.
I agree with Franski because the author illustrates a typical Dominican man to be a top notch ladies man, or bachatero. I believe that later on in the book it will show the difference in Oscar's life and other Dominican men's lives. It may show that Oscar does not have the same lifestyle that others have. The author does show the type of person Oscar is or may be. I also agree with Ramon in which he said that Francesca clearly analyzed the first chapter because she described how the characters in the book may be, especially Oscar.
I agree with Francesca's point of view completely. The author makes the reader think that the book is going to be about an average Dominican who is seen as a top notch, pro baseball player, ladies man who party on the regular day bases. But instead Oscar is not a ladies man, he plays video games, he's misunderstood and his life isn't about who can get the most chicks. I also agree with Ramon when he said that Junot Diaz gives the reader a spin because he show's how not every Dominican is the same and everyone's life is different in its own way.
I also agree with Francesca because this story starts off talking about how there is a Dominican kid who seems a little different then the rest but is still the kid getting girls until his life makes a turn for the worst after one break-up his life s ruined and he becomes a kid that is nothing like any other Dominican kid who plays video games, read comics and looks nothing like the generic Dominican philanderer that many people would expect him to be proving that it doesn't matter what you were born into but what we make our lives out to be.
I agree with Jose. I like how Oscar was a video gamer as well as a comic book reader and what people call a "nerd." But he should not have to change the way he is in order to fit in and live the average Dominican life. Also, It makes me upset to see how one break-up caused him to change as well. I personally do not like to see people change over something that shouldn't be that serious, though I could be speaking for myself.
Despite Tyrone may be talking for himself, one simple relationship should not have completely flipped Oscar's life upside down because it was just a simple childhood break-up where nothing should have nearly been that serious and he should have taken this opportunity to start anew and not let something as simple as this affect his life so dramatically as peoples words are only words and should not interfere with his personal life
Why thank you good sir! I agree, no one should let their life take a turn at all, especially if it's for the worst. If everyone were like Oscar then no one would be considered original and they would just be followers and would try anything to fit in...
I agree with all of the previous statements that have been made. The book immediately grasps the reader's attention, as it shous the perspective of an overweight Dominican outcast. This type of character isn't commonly seen in many works of literature, and what makes it interesting is the idea that this character - in real life - would be the person who is mostly overlooked by everyone else. Transforming from a prepubescent player into an "undesirable", corpulent, videogaming geeks, Oscar Wao's life enthralls the reader and keeps us turning the pages. Touching upon the topic of Oscar's adolescent love life, I do agree that Oscar shouldn't have allowed himself to be so disturbed by his loss of "love" by both Maritza and Olga. Instead of allowing it to pave the pathway to his strong pessimism, he should've taken it as the beginning example of a "You win some, you lose some" scenario and moved on. After all, Oscar was still young and there's plenty of time for him to be involved with females and find love.
Looking at the text from a social theorist point of view, The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz, the text has become very interesting. I begin to wonder on page 1, while referring to the fuku curse the text states,"They say it came from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved...it was a demon drawn into creation through the nightmare", why is it that those who reside in the ghettos are the ones who believe in it with such certainty. Another scene within the text on page 15, it states "in her hand-me-downs and in shoes that were four sizes too big" this is an example of what a low income families attire would look like. I have also noticed that the characters use of dialogue exemplifies many expletives. what does this say about low income family? This shows that those who are lower income and reside in 'ghettos' use of diction show they do not have a very profound use of vocabulary because they are more illiterate. This text raises a lot of questions for me guess that is why they have wondrous in the title because this book makes you wonder. ;)
I agree with your point of view yet I believe that Oscar doesn't fit on some of your category. Even when Oscar comes from a low income family he still uses rich vocabulary words yes they use many expletives and such but is to show how low income families are stereotyped; my parents don't use such language, they are Dominican and come from low income backgrounds. Not everyone fits into the category that the writer tries to make Oscar's family fit in. The writer tries to make it seem that those who reside in the "ghettos" are there because they are not smart or not completed school but in this case the reason is since they don't speak the language not because they don't want to but because they are immigrants and are too busy trying to make a living to study and try to prosper that's why is in the kids like Oscar to study and move forward instead of caring more about the girls who they can mess around with than schooling.
On your theory of the usage of expletives, I understand your logic, Shakima and Nadelyn, but I'd have to disagree. I don't believe that Junot Diaz put expletives in Oscar's dialogue to show illiteracy within low-income families or to show stereotypes of low-income families. In fact, I think Diaz uses expletive simply to give us a better feel to who Oscar is as a person. Oscar is definitely not illiterate or uneducated, and we can see examples of this within his segments where he speaks of his Dominican history or the colleges that he has applied to (Drew, Montclair, Rutgers, NYU). Additionally, his usage of Spanish words in the middle of sentences doesn't show that he doesn't know English well or anything to that feel. Instead, the way he speaks and his word choi e provides more personality to the character. Diaz could've made Oscar an articulate, slim student, but it's the usage of expletives and Spanish words/phrases (used to reflect his culture) that brings Oscar to life.
After reading the first chapter of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, I can already relate on a high level to the story. The story's main protagonist Oscar de Leon is your typical "ghetto nerd" from your typical dominican family who believes that a guy should "get with" as much girls as possible. However Oscar who enjoys mmorpg's, sci-fi, and fantasy do not live up to his expectations. When reading this story at times it feels as if I am looking in the mirror. I too enjoy all the things Oscar enjoys from the first thing to last and I too am look down at by the "True Dominicans" in my family. Unlike me Oscar follow that belief that he must be a "Fly bacatero" and be a "player". He has to a star at parties show interest in girls at the age of seven (which I found ridiculous). Junot Diaz uses the common stereotype and social belief that all dominican boys are great with girls and if there not they are not a true man. These are the beliefs that motivated Oscar to live his life the way he did till the age of seven the year of his horrible break up that ruined his life. He becomes overweight and is often called names in school and he a person has no power he lets those around him control him and shape who he is. This is a great book so far and has themes that a see and witnessed before I'm looking forward to see what happens next in Oscars life.
i agree with ramon, many dominicans live up to being a typical dominican guy but there are many that are dominican that don't fall into the category and there are different from everybody else. Many people have an idea of what dominican do but many don't know its not true some try to fix in but don't. Many things change a way a person is and acts. Many beliefs such as ramon said "fly bachatero and the player" people do try to follow it and sometimes it goes wrong or it just doesn't work out for that person. The book The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar wao by Junot Diaz keeps me thinkings about whats going to happen next and it keeps a person thinking about what will happen to the character in the future and you will keep asking your self "what will happen next. Those who have power in the beginning will eventually loss it.you will never know what will happen next in life you just have to live for the moment. this book shows its not all about what you have its about how a person looks and if they can fix in with everybody else.
I agree with Ramon as well. Even though I'm not Dominican, I come from a family who is known to get girls and be the so called "player" while I'm a video game playing nerd. I don't try to be a player even with my uncle's who try every now and then to make me like them, I instead rather play Pokemon. But unlike Oscar, I am not made fun of for the things I like and I do not follow the beliefs of being a player.
As I read Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao it made me realize how things can quickly change. you can have everything and the next second you can loss it all. Junot Diaz show a stereo type of a typical dominican which was a bachatero and a ladies man that has all the girls. Oscar was a player type during the beginning of the book then it change towards the ending of part 1 because the girl he really likes found out he was messing with someone else and told him basically "its me or her" so after oscar broke up with her, he's other girl broke up with him and he became depress and started gaining a lot of weight, wasn't attractive and was a nerd. This shows how something can really change a person in a good or bad way and show how things will change overs the years. Junot Daiz also have a lot of compares in which he show a "typical dominican" and how oscar life is, in which shows that not every stereo type of a person is not true. A lot of people live different lives and sometimes its not what everybody makes it seem. Diaz grabs the author attention and makes them wonder whats going to happen next.
As the chapter continues, it gets more engaging. Oscar thought it was a time to change. He thought it was time to better himself, after all, his two nerd friends who were more weird and less appealing then he was got hot, attractive girlfriends. So he cut his hair, cut off his mustache and did ex-cerise. The ending parts of chapter one, you see how Oscar falls in love with a girl name Ana. He sees that she's very similar to him because they both read the same kind of books. But oscar got his heart broken again to someone who physically abused Ana. Reading the second chapter,Junot Diaz makes a completely turn from the persecutive of oscar, to the perspective of Lola, Oscar sister. This was the eye shocker of chapters one and two because you would figure how Lola was pushing oscar to do ex-cerise, and was such a positive person but you would never guess that she HATED HER MOM SO MUCH! She fought with her mom so much, and even when her mom was weak and dying of cancer,she still managed to pick a fight with her. Lola is a very interesting character as well. There was so much tension in the house, that it drove her mom to locking her out and the only way was for her to get in was for Oscar to open his windows. It was up to the point where she ran away with a boy she didn't know well. This really was an eye opener because she fought and ran away from the house when her mom was ill. This broke my heart. Even thou her mom was a negative influence and brought her down you shouldn't leave your mom whose dying of cancer, work 2 jobs and come home tired to cooking and cleaning. Well see on chapter 3 how everything turns out.
A person changes for the better of themselves. If a person thinks they don't fix in they will try hard or do anything to fix in, such as oscar in the book. when someone things they fix in something always happens such as when oscar got his heart broken by Ana, their is always a downfall to ever good thing. A persons love for someone can be strong such a brother and sister and a mother and their children's, An brother can sister will always have each other back mean you can always argue with your parents even if they are going through hard times. I can relate to this because when my dad was sick from cancer i always gave him a hard time and argue with him for anything but its because the thought of him having cancer will always put me down and i always wonder what if i did wake up and he was not their one morning how will it be with out him and that made me upset but at the end of the day i always knew he was the only person that was going to be their for me and i shouldn't act that way to him. A lot of people don't know what they have until they loss it and when they do they will regret it, and think back what if i change this and that but it will be to late until they realize it.
From a conflict perspective the way Oscar dated two girls could have only lead to trouble. Because Maritza was tried of "sharing" Oscar with Olga she asked him to choose between them to, Oscar's relationship with both girl's was only a bomb waiting to explode in other words it was eventually meant to happen that two people would get hurt. The problem that this "threesome" caused was more than just two kids crying because of a broken heart but looking at it deeply it lead to Oscar's loss of confidence, his loss of Dominican "cassanova" identity, that little break up lead to his state of being as he is right now. Yet from a Gender perspective this book showed the power that women have over men who are sensitive and fragile. Maritza showed how some woman know how to use their power to control situations around them.
Surely, the relationship between the three was nothing more than a ticking time bomb. Though they were young, they - namely Maritza and Oscar - weren't young enough not to know better. In Oscar's defense, he didn't see anything wrong with being with the two girls at the same time. In fact, he welcomed the "little flirtatious child" persona and enjoyed the attention he received as a result of it. However, once he broke up with Olga, he knew that he was doing something wrong and instead of comforting the female, he merely gave her a "Suck it up, don't be a baby" attitude. He hurt Olga without aby sign of shame or contrition, just to be with someone who had nothing more to her than beauty. As a result of bad karma (better yet, fuku), Oscar ended up being hurt by the same girl he dumped Olga for. Just like Oscar knew what he was doing once he dumped Olga, Maritza discarded him in the same fashion: for someone else. Though someone might defend this as them just being young and learning, youth isn't a reason strong enough to make up for the fact that two individual intentionally hurt another and two individuals were hurt out of the group.
Junot Diaz is a good writer from what chapters one, two, and three contains. He starts of with a catch in each one. In chapter one, junot diaz focuses on oscar point of view. In chapter two he gives his sisters Lola's perspective on how everything is viewed. In chapter three he gives the view on their mother, Beli and talks about her childhood and her background information. He starts every chapter with the story of the main characters.
In chapter three, you learn Beli life story. She was raised in D.R. by her foster mother. Beli was however sent to a private school. One part that shocked me was knowing that during Beli childhood, she became "boy crazy". She had very little friends because of her attitude. Beli comes across this boy names Jack, who she has sex with. He doesn't respect her. He gets sent away to military school. When she was at her teens, you can relate her to her son Oscar because their both a sucker for romance.
I agree with you; Oscar and Beli are very alike with certain things that they face during their childhood. They both have struggles with the opposite sex -Oscar at first getting his heart broken as a very young man while Beli fell easily for men who did no good to her. However, they are also very different, while Beli did try in some ways to expand her horizons and get a taste of the different emotions and adventures that life can offer (falling in love, getting her heart broken and trying to find herself through the situations she had to face.) In the other hand, Oscar goes through life drowning himself in all the different bumps of his life, due to the girl problems he had during his childhood his self-esteem went down as in comparison to his mother even after she had a bad experience with Jack she eventually moved on -Oscar didn't, he was stuck on what if's through the couple of pages that narrated his life. Oscar went "girl crazy" in his early years in which he was even involved in a relationship with two girls at the same time yet, his mother went "boy crazy" later on in her life -both characters portraying how most typical Dominican people at tent to behave. Oscar started with a good relationship with the opposite sex and then it all went down hill, meanwhile his mother was put in the face of certain boys that didn't care much about her or who weren't good for her. Therefore, I believe Junot Diaz wanted to contrast how alike and also how the life of boys and girls can differ.
In the second chapter Lola narrates in the first person view. She describes the day that her mother (in which lola calls her "Belicia") calls her into the bathroom to help her examine a lump that she has found in one of her large breasts. which turn out to be breast cancer. Lola gets a these witch feeling that something is about to change. Lola and here mother never had the best relationship , there relationship was always rocky and they always fight even after she knows that her mother was dying from breast cancer. in which i think lola is wrong for that and she should had been their for her mother but she doesn't because she hates her mother too much. she runs away with a guy name aldo and their relationship was rocky and when she gets lonely she call her brother to meet up with her but this made her end up going to DR to live with her nena inca- because oscar bought his aunt and uncle and his mother with him to see lola. i think lola mess up when she ran away with her boyfriend because at the end of the day family will always be there and guy will just come and go - plus their is a lot of guys out their. In DR she meet a guy name max while she was attending high school, Even In DR lola get these witch feeling again but it come from her family from the past.
I am completely in love with this book. When I first started reading the book I thought that it was going to be completely about Oscar and how he isn't the typical Dominican guy. As I continued reading the book i was feeling bad for Oscar because of all the troubles that he is facing and his problems with the girls that he falls for and trying to be the person that his family wants him to be. The thing that I really like about Oscar is that he tries to shut out what his family wants hi to be like. For example when he went to D.R instead of going out with his cousins and trying to get girls he preferred to be at home working on his writing, this shows that he doesn't really care about the stereotypes of being a true Dominican he just likes being himself. This book has me wanting to read more and more trying to find out whats going to happen later on in the book. Posted by Lenny at 3:52 PM
As I continue reading this book I can relate more and more to the book. The book has changed point of view now it talks about Lola and her life. During the beginning of the book I always thought that Oscars mother favored Lola more than she did to Oscar but in reality she sort of favors Oscar more. Reading the book i have realized that Lola's mother treats Lola the way that she expects her to be a perfect daughter who cooks and cleans and is perfect. But Lola isn't that way Lola is tired of being treated and eventually runs off. I can relate to this because I have a Dominican mother who excepts me to be at home all day cleaning and being the perfect daughter. But based on what I have read I sort of believe that Lola's mother has some sort of hatred towards Lola. The way he mother treats her and not believing Lola about being abused shows that she doesn't really care about Lola. I still don't know what is the story behind Lola's mother or it's that shes changed because of her cancer but it seems like she doesn't love Lola at all. So far I will keep reading the book to find out what is that reason that Lola's mother has so much hatred towards her.
Even though I've only completed the first chapter, I'm already entranced by this book.
The main character, Oscar, is someone that I can relate to in the sense of his tribulations, his hobbies (anime, playing video games) and other things. His fall from grace was very much an interesting read, seeing how he dumped one girl for the next - only to be dropped by the girl which he chose.
And while that continues to chew him out, he tends to make life better for himself - choosing to make things right instead of lying to himself in order to feel better.
I also feel that Oscar is stuck with a bunch of expectations due to his nature: being a "fly bachatero", living like a "player" and keeping up with the females. It's an unjust thing to say that one person should be this way because of the history of those before them - if anyone can be anything they want to be, so can Oscar.
As I continue reading the book I get more drowned into it. A good technique that the authors uses is the change in perspective, he let's the readers get the point of all the characters -starts with Oscar then Lola then Beli. Because of this we can get attached to the characters, we can learn more about them and relate to someone and maybe all of them at the same time. For example as I was reading the book in the perspective of Lola I could relate to her when she described the way a "perfect Dominican" daughter is they do as they are told, they clean and never complaint and that is the way I behave with my father as a "perfect Dominican" daughter since anything else is not acceptable at all in most of the Dominican households where a single parent is in charge. In another part of the same chapter Lola says "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." The way that I can relate to this is that at times that's what I feel like telling some people, they start judging others in the way that they act, and dress but then again we all face different struggles growing up and no one has the right to judge the other. This quote grabbed my attention because it made me realize that no one has the right to judge no one else yet it comes easy to us to make fun or how the other looks or how the other dresses.
I agree with Nadelyn, the technique she describes as perspective change does indeed let the readers obtain the point of view of all of his characters in his story. This technique gives the reader in a sense seem like they are having a conversation with the author and are exchanging themes and views upon his ideas. This helps the readers further understand the story as each theme is told through characters most likely to go through these problems. For example one should not expect Lola to go through the same problems that Oscar goes through so the author tells separate stories through these two characters to helps us understand the problems we see in our society and in a more bigger view, how can we begin to stop it. This helps enrich the story's plot and give the reader something to look forward to. Some may argue that this technique may confuse the audience throwing them off track from the authors main theme but i disagree. There is no one main theme in any story. All stories contain various themes little or small but all share the same importance which is why the author included them in the story in the first place. I personally love this technique in stories as they make it more easier to locate the themes the author place in his stories to make it more interesting. Junot Diaz does a great job using perspective change as it make it easy to grasp themes and gives his story more of twist rather than most book that have only one straight forward format.
I agree with Ramon. This technique helps me personally learn more about the character's personal life so I would not look at them in a way that they do not deserve. I do not see how anyone could get tricked up by this technique unless they are not paying much attention to the plot and characters in general. I have read many books in my past and even just skimmed through several books that used this type of technique and I knew about every character as if I read the book over and over so in conclusion, I think more books need to be like this! Anyone agree?
Okay, finally getting back into the groove of reading when I have free time (and the break has many opportunities which must not be missed...) and I've completed the second chapter, covering Lola's progression of life.
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It's a twisted tale all around - expected to be the "perfect Dominican daughter" by her cancer-stricken mother, and progressively deviating from that expectation as her mother continually saps away her happiness for emotional and matriarchal gain - establishing her dominance in the family, that which Lola was an opponent of.
Her tale is a sad one: no real friends (until Karen), no one liking her punk girl image, a rather unbecoming lifestyle and the all-too-common teenage angst which pushes her to escape it all on her own.
The relations I tend to draw from that of Lola's is that the idea of living to please others shouldn't be perpetuated any further, instead there should be much more of a free will lifestyle - an experience where people won't be judged on how they look, how they live and other miscellaneous categories.
If there's something that I know about when it comes to teen novels (of which I am a fan and a writer of), it's that angst which drives teenagers to do things which are unlike their certain character, either as a way to prove they're not as dumb as one would think or to shut up naysayers - even going as far as detaching themselves from others in order to live more freely and without any strings holding them back, whether it's family, friends or the world in general. For Lola, it's her fascination with stories of runaways which partially pushes her to make some life-changing decisions - she also makes a lot of connections between her own situations and the characters of those books in particular.
Lola is an interesting character - rather dynamic, as Oscar's run-ins with her in the first chapter weren't very pleasurable to read, but with more character development, she's much more of an interesting person to follow.
As I progressed through the book I began to notice the significance of gender in this story. As we continue reading we see Oscar begin to change the he acts, the things he likes and even the way he looks all for one reason to get a girlfriend. This goes directly against the patriarch ideology of how woman have little influence in society and are overshadowed by men. In the story we see how Oscar has to completely change who he is in order to be with the first girl he ever "loved" Ana. I believe woman hold the power to change men to the very core of there personality and alter there very being. As a male reading the story thus far I can only infer that in order to be the one you love you have not be yourself. You may have to give up on the things you use to enjoy and worse case scenario even the way you think, act, and look. This goes even further in contradicting many gender stereotypes such as Oscar a male protagonist being portrayed as a "inperfect" male which in society woman are shown as the ones now perfect (due to complaining about weight, hair, and makeup, ect). I am looking forward to see what will happen next in Oscars love life, will he change to his former self or continue with his on going facade?
I agree. I honestly did not like the fact that Oscar changed as a person, especially when it came from him being himself to someone that tries to get other people to like him. Me personally I feel like you should not have to change yourself and people should like you for well you. I am also looking forward to seeing how Oscar's love life will turn out, but I am hoping that it does not conclude in such a horrible ending, but yet a dazzling tale that would keep me interested.
Also in agreement with Ramon - it seems rather unfair for a person to change what they are in order to satisfy some sort of criteria set by somebody else.
Contradictions are very much abundant as patriarchal ideology is completely ignored for a more matriarchal ideology - putting women up as the champions and the men completely overshadowed.
Oscar's story is an interesting one as he tries to cope with the expectations of his ethnicity, his own expectations with females and his constant failures and shortcomings in order to satisfy his own desires.
i agree with what Ramon has to say about the whole gender theory. When people think whats going on in a males head, they usually think about what better ways they can improve themselves on how they can get more girls. In the book, in this case, oscar like ramon says, makes a 360 and changes a lot of things about himself.
( continued) In the ways that he changed his whole outer image and tried to work on the inside, but he had problems with it. He slacked and he fell in love again. His changing himself for the better and worst. Now that its changing perspective you do know what is going on with Oscars life.
I haven’t read much of the book but I’m really enjoying the book. It’s about an overweight guy that people thought was a typical Dominican when in reality he is the complete opposite. For example, Oscar’s uncle had told him,” listen, palomo: you have to grab a muchacha, y meteselo. That will take care of everything. Start with a fea. Coje that fea y meteselo!” These lines are basically saying that Oscar should grab any girl and have sex with her. When I use my reader response lens I could really relate to him and his lifestyle. I know people who are Dominican but don’t act like typical Dominicans. His uncle made it seem like every Dominican just wants to stick it into just anyone, when some Dominican guys have respect for females. Oscar also came to realize that his friends aren’t what he thinks they are he finally realized that his friends might just be embarrassed by him. He realized this when Migg and Al were always hanging out with girls. He wondered why they never hung out with him outside of playing video games. I personally feel like this is a messed up situation because friends shouldn’t be embarrassed of each other. I feel like Oscar would come to realize who his true friends are at the end of the book.
I've only read a bit of the book but my attention was automatically captured. I like that The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao does not start with an overly dramatic glance into the main characters beginnings but with a strong flash the historical beginnings of the character’s people and the force that is believed to power the events illustrated in the entire book itself. The deep descriptions of fuku makes you expect a gruesome tale of violence and murder but as you continue reading the author shows that fuku can strike at any time and in any way including giving a kid bad luck with the ladies and a “gland” problem. At first the side Dominican Republic history lessons were annoying but they helped me see the constant underlying presents in the Dominican culture, which is fuku. I’m sure fuku will rear its ugly head again in the book making Oscar Wao’s wondrous life a brief one.
I agree with your comment about the "side Dominican Republic history lessons". (: I felt the same way about the footnotes at the bottom of the page. I found it rather annoying at first to begin reading a sentence, then having to go down and read the sometimes extensive footnotes on something completely different, only to return back to that sentence I began and continue on. However, I've come to realize that the footnotes are indeed useful, being that they provide history and substance to Oscar's frequent references to things we otherwise wouldn't know of.As for the Dominican Republic history lessons, I feel that they give us a better understanding to who Oscar is as a person. It gives insight to a person who might not know of Dominican culture and shows the beliefs shared by him and his people, such as the fuku. The beginning description of the fuku and the dreadful things that come along with the fuku as a package sets the tone for the resr of the book, making you wonder how fuku will affect Oscar's own life.
As I was reading the book during the break, there was a quote that really grabbed my attention. When the book is told from the perspective of the mother of Lola and Oscar -Beli; she describes how she felt when she spent time with the gangster she said that "For the first time I actually felt like I owned my skin, like it was me and I was it." As I read that I could relate to her reasons to say this. When you are in a relationship with someone you get the chance to show them a side of you that no one has seen before and for many it means that you don't hold back the certain things that you hold back from others. In other words, you get to start things with that person without hiding any details from them because when you care for someone you let them know every little detail of you. Is not easy to be free because of the many different stereotypes that are in society today and is hard for everyone to be who they are -is easy to feel trapped as if your skin was your cage because you can't show others who you are 100%. Our character Beli believes that she is in love with the gangster and due to this she lets him know all about her meanwhile he doesn't show that he is "free" since later on in the book we find out many things that he didn't tell our poor girl Beli; like for example that he is married and to the sister of Trujillo, he doesn't let Beli know his true intentions with her and that he isn't truly in love with her.
I agree with NadelynP. The gangster that Beli is in love with is not in love with her. This shows some gender theory because some guys actually intensions are not the same as women intensions. You can relate with the kind of guy Beli's in love with to todays men because thats what most of them want from girls. They pic the most fragile one and tell the girls lies just to get in their pants. You can tell that Beli is a helpless romantic because she open up to a guy she knows nothing about. You can compare Lola with her mom because they believed in a men, the only difference is that Lola boyfriend, and her were on good terms and he let her stay in her house when she ran away from home. As we go along more in the book, you see how if you put on your social lens glasses, you see many things; like gender theory.
As I Read I come to realize that Oscar isn't the only one who is dealing with a hard life or dealing with issues. His sister was raped by a senior when she was in the 6th grade and now it’s as if she's a rebel. I also came to realize that Oscar was jealous of his friends and their success in finding girlfriends their senior year in high school that he began to not hand out with them after a while. After a while Oscar started writing books, still played video games, and he also complained about dying a virgin. You could tell that he wasn't comfortable in his own skin and I personally feel like I could relate to that because when I was younger I wasn't comfortable in my body. I felt like I was ugly and that no one would want to look my way but then I realized that it's what on the inside that matters not the outside. Oscar fell in love with a girl named Jenni and that was when he started to take care of himself a lot more. But I feel like Oscar was slightly the controlling type he didn't like seeing Jenni with other people and even turned to drinking, he even thought about suicide.
This is all I have for now and I’m really enjoying the book.
Throughout The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao, it seems as if all the main characters all had their own issues with life, as any human would too. Lola did have a tough childhood getting rapped at a young age, or any age at all, will be scaring for the rest of your life. I do agree that Oscar isn't the only one with problems as the book goes through more perspectives of characters you will discover that each member of the family had issues. My question is, is it possible that this was caused by the FUKU curse? Getting back on topic the mom didn't have the most pleasant childhood either, being with a boyfriend in high school, who not only denied her also ruined her future career as a medical doctor, then to make matters worst as an adult finding out that she has breast cancer. What was most shocking was when Lola strikes back at her, I can imagine this most be very difficult for any mother. As far as you being uncomfortable with your body, don't ever feel that way, we are all beautiful :)! You brought to my attention Oscar's behavior with Jenni, I feel that Oscar isn't necessarily over protective as you put it, you must keep in mind that Oscar never really had a girlfriend other then his small fling with Olga and Maritza, so with him actually being with a girl, I'm sure this is his cause for being “over protective”
This may seem a bit pre mature and that's due to I haven't been reading the book like I was supposed to but from what I have read so far the book talk about the struggling life of a socially awkward obese individual who has no clear view of who they are as a person and or where the belong in the society for example on pages 20 and 21 the artist talks about how oscar "wore his nerdiness" proudly in a sense that he couldn't become "normal if he wanted to. which is retrospect as an teenager I can understand first hand because I'm at the age where most people find out who they are what they like as in individual and what I'm into may not be the same as anyone else which will eventually make you seem socially awkward or abnormal- D.B
It might be to late now, but I always question Junot Diaz style of writing, It amazes me. Through Junto Diaz novel The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao he uses the Spanish language. For example using words like pariguayo. Wouldn't the Spanish language make it slightly more difficult for an non-spanish reader? Or does it create a fun reader experience where you would have to do the research in order to figure out what the word means? Through my perspective as a Spanish reader, it's very enjoyable for me, whenever I read it it makes me smile or laugh, however does it do the same for you? Does it frustrate you?Another thing I question was his use of Italics certain words he Italics, but others he leaves alone. For example sometimes he Itlalics the word Love and other times he doesn't. Does any one have an answer to this? Does the Italics makes the word to be taken more seriously? Lastly is his use of footnotes, I personally got to enjoy the footnotes, I learned about Dominican culture, etc. However are they really necessary, did Junto really need to add them in? Do the footnotes really hold a significant role to the story? Of course I'm excluding the first to pages that explains the Fuku curse and the belief behind it.
The book begins describing an ancient dominican curse called the Fuku. It then goes on to describe how this curse was responsible for every major downfall in history, including choice events such as the assassination of president Kennedy in 1963. We get the idea that this curse or Omen, will be a central theme in the book, more importantly, its involvement with a character named Oscar Wao. He peeks at a young age, having two girlfriends and then losing both. He then begins to grow large, and becomes a social pariah, due to the fuku curse. I think this book will be largely based on the theme of society's outcast, the effect of the curse on Oscar, and possibly even his redemption.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao chapter one, part one, GhettoNerd at the End of the World,I can really relate to how the author is trying to grasp the readers attention. He broke it down to us saying that all because he was Dominican, he wasn't the typical "home- run hitter, fly bachatero and wasn't a playboy with a million hots on his jock. When you think about dominicans, you think otherwise. Junot Diaz started to give a good sense of what the characters in the book are like so far. He gave a great description on how Oscar seems like the laid back, down to earth kind of boy, but then he gave Oscar a more sweet, really caring, cry baby kind of side over Maritza, a girl who made him break up with his other girlfriend to get dump on the following week. He portrays how a break up could really hurt a guy but gives us a bit of foreshadowing to see how things changed as the years go by.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Francescas view on how the author grasps the attention of the audience. I also agree with how she describes the authors description of Oscar. I like how in the novel the author shows a twist on how fast things can change. In example, it shows how at one moment Oscar was a philanderer in a sense and goes to an overweight disgusting nerd "un gordo asquerso". you never know how quick something can change. one moment Oscar had the whole world in his hands the next he was a loner. A heartbroken loner. He has always been sensitive but since the break up it comes out more. Now hes crying more and in front of whoever.
DeleteI completely agree with francesca point of the author instantly grabbing your attention. He portrays what a dominican should be before the first page of the chapter even finishes. A ladies man, a fly bacatero, and a hit in parties This give the reader a sense of what will be going on in the upcoming pages, heartbreak, outcasting, and bullying. These are typical theme we seen or even experienced ourselves giving us reason to read on. As they continue to read they begin to see that Oscar is your everyday average nerd that can be easily related to. A kind misunderstood kid who was the victim of a social standard to his race which cause him is former glory. He transforms from a typical dominican to social pariah a overweight nerd. Junot Diaz gives the readers a spin on the look of dominican boys. They are not all the same which society makes them out to be, not all of them fall under the same beliefs of how they should act. Oscar is sweet and sensitive child rather then masculine and a jock. I think Francesca hit the theme on the head she clearly analyzed it perfectly and show the social lens view of the story so far.
DeleteI agree with Franski because the author illustrates a typical Dominican man to be a top notch ladies man, or bachatero. I believe that later on in the book it will show the difference in Oscar's life and other Dominican men's lives. It may show that Oscar does not have the same lifestyle that others have. The author does show the type of person Oscar is or may be. I also agree with Ramon in which he said that Francesca clearly analyzed the first chapter because she described how the characters in the book may be, especially Oscar.
DeleteI agree with Francesca's point of view completely. The author makes the reader think that the book is going to be about an average Dominican who is seen as a top notch, pro baseball player, ladies man who party on the regular day bases. But instead Oscar is not a ladies man, he plays video games, he's misunderstood and his life isn't about who can get the most chicks. I also agree with Ramon when he said that Junot Diaz gives the reader a spin because he show's how not every Dominican is the same and everyone's life is different in its own way.
DeleteI also agree with Francesca because this story starts off talking about how there is a Dominican kid who seems a little different then the rest but is still the kid getting girls until his life makes a turn for the worst after one break-up his life s ruined and he becomes a kid that is nothing like any other Dominican kid who plays video games, read comics and looks nothing like the generic Dominican philanderer that many people would expect him to be proving that it doesn't matter what you were born into but what we make our lives out to be.
DeleteI agree with Jose. I like how Oscar was a video gamer as well as a comic book reader and what people call a "nerd." But he should not have to change the way he is in order to fit in and live the average Dominican life. Also, It makes me upset to see how one break-up caused him to change as well. I personally do not like to see people change over something that shouldn't be that serious, though I could be speaking for myself.
DeleteDespite Tyrone may be talking for himself, one simple relationship should not have completely flipped Oscar's life upside down because it was just a simple childhood break-up where nothing should have nearly been that serious and he should have taken this opportunity to start anew and not let something as simple as this affect his life so dramatically as peoples words are only words and should not interfere with his personal life
DeleteWhy thank you good sir! I agree, no one should let their life take a turn at all, especially if it's for the worst. If everyone were like Oscar then no one would be considered original and they would just be followers and would try anything to fit in...
DeleteI agree with all of the previous statements that have been made. The book immediately grasps the reader's attention, as it shous the perspective of an overweight Dominican outcast. This type of character isn't commonly seen in many works of literature, and what makes it interesting is the idea that this character - in real life - would be the person who is mostly overlooked by everyone else. Transforming from a prepubescent player into an "undesirable", corpulent, videogaming geeks, Oscar Wao's life enthralls the reader and keeps us turning the pages. Touching upon the topic of Oscar's adolescent love life, I do agree that Oscar shouldn't have allowed himself to be so disturbed by his loss of "love" by both Maritza and Olga. Instead of allowing it to pave the pathway to his strong pessimism, he should've taken it as the beginning example of a "You win some, you lose some" scenario and moved on. After all, Oscar was still young and there's plenty of time for him to be involved with females and find love.
DeleteLooking at the text from a social theorist point of view, The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz, the text has become very interesting. I begin to wonder on page 1, while referring to the fuku curse the text states,"They say it came from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved...it was a demon drawn into creation through the nightmare", why is it that those who reside in the ghettos are the ones who believe in it with such certainty. Another scene within the text on page 15, it states "in her hand-me-downs and in shoes that were four sizes too big" this is an example of what a low income families attire would look like. I have also noticed that the characters use of dialogue exemplifies many expletives. what does this say about low income family? This shows that those who are lower income and reside in 'ghettos' use of diction show they do not have a very profound use of vocabulary because they are more illiterate. This text raises a lot of questions for me guess that is why they have wondrous in the title because this book makes you wonder. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point of view yet I believe that Oscar doesn't fit on some of your category. Even when Oscar comes from a low income family he still uses rich vocabulary words yes they use many expletives and such but is to show how low income families are stereotyped; my parents don't use such language, they are Dominican and come from low income backgrounds. Not everyone fits into the category that the writer tries to make Oscar's family fit in. The writer tries to make it seem that those who reside in the "ghettos" are there because they are not smart or not completed school but in this case the reason is since they don't speak the language not because they don't want to but because they are immigrants and are too busy trying to make a living to study and try to prosper that's why is in the kids like Oscar to study and move forward instead of caring more about the girls who they can mess around with than schooling.
DeleteOn your theory of the usage of expletives, I understand your logic, Shakima and Nadelyn, but I'd have to disagree. I don't believe that Junot Diaz put expletives in Oscar's dialogue to show illiteracy within low-income families or to show stereotypes of low-income families. In fact, I think Diaz uses expletive simply to give us a better feel to who Oscar is as a person. Oscar is definitely not illiterate or uneducated, and we can see examples of this within his segments where he speaks of his Dominican history or the colleges that he has applied to (Drew, Montclair, Rutgers, NYU). Additionally, his usage of Spanish words in the middle of sentences doesn't show that he doesn't know English well or anything to that feel. Instead, the way he speaks and his word choi e provides more personality to the character. Diaz could've made Oscar an articulate, slim student, but it's the usage of expletives and Spanish words/phrases (used to reflect his culture) that brings Oscar to life.
DeleteAfter reading the first chapter of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, I can already relate on a high level to the story. The story's main protagonist Oscar de Leon is your typical "ghetto nerd" from your typical dominican family who believes that a guy should "get with" as much girls as possible. However Oscar who enjoys mmorpg's, sci-fi, and fantasy do not live up to his expectations. When reading this story at times it feels as if I am looking in the mirror. I too enjoy all the things Oscar enjoys from the first thing to last and I too am look down at by the "True Dominicans" in my family. Unlike me Oscar follow that belief that he must be a "Fly bacatero" and be a "player". He has to a star at parties show interest in girls at the age of seven (which I found ridiculous). Junot Diaz uses the common stereotype and social belief that all dominican boys are great with girls and if there not they are not a true man. These are the beliefs that motivated Oscar to live his life the way he did till the age of seven the year of his horrible break up that ruined his life. He becomes overweight and is often called names in school and he a person has no power he lets those around him control him and shape who he is. This is a great book so far and has themes that a see and witnessed before I'm looking forward to see what happens next in Oscars life.
ReplyDeletei agree with ramon, many dominicans live up to being a typical dominican guy but there are many that are dominican that don't fall into the category and there are different from everybody else. Many people have an idea of what dominican do but many don't know its not true some try to fix in but don't. Many things change a way a person is and acts. Many beliefs such as ramon said "fly bachatero and the player" people do try to follow it and sometimes it goes wrong or it just doesn't work out for that person. The book The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar wao by Junot Diaz keeps me thinkings about whats going to happen next and it keeps a person thinking about what will happen to the character in the future and you will keep asking your self "what will happen next. Those who have power in the beginning will eventually loss it.you will never know what will happen next in life you just have to live for the moment. this book shows its not all about what you have its about how a person looks and if they can fix in with everybody else.
DeleteI agree with Ramon as well. Even though I'm not Dominican, I come from a family who is known to get girls and be the so called "player" while I'm a video game playing nerd. I don't try to be a player even with my uncle's who try every now and then to make me like them, I instead rather play Pokemon. But unlike Oscar, I am not made fun of for the things I like and I do not follow the beliefs of being a player.
DeleteAs I read Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao it made me realize how things can quickly change. you can have everything and the next second you can loss it all. Junot Diaz show a stereo type of a typical dominican which was a bachatero and a ladies man that has all the girls. Oscar was a player type during the beginning of the book then it change towards the ending of part 1 because the girl he really likes found out he was messing with someone else and told him basically "its me or her" so after oscar broke up with her, he's other girl broke up with him and he became depress and started gaining a lot of weight, wasn't attractive and was a nerd. This shows how something can really change a person in a good or bad way and show how things will change overs the years. Junot Daiz also have a lot of compares in which he show a "typical dominican" and how oscar life is, in which shows that not every stereo type of a person is not true. A lot of people live different lives and sometimes its not what everybody makes it seem. Diaz grabs the author attention and makes them wonder whats going to happen next.
ReplyDeleteAs the chapter continues, it gets more engaging. Oscar thought it was a time to change. He thought it was time to better himself, after all, his two nerd friends who were more weird and less appealing then he was got hot, attractive girlfriends. So he cut his hair, cut off his mustache and did ex-cerise. The ending parts of chapter one, you see how Oscar falls in love with a girl name Ana. He sees that she's very similar to him because they both read the same kind of books. But oscar got his heart broken again to someone who physically abused Ana.
ReplyDeleteReading the second chapter,Junot Diaz makes a completely turn from the persecutive of oscar, to the perspective of Lola, Oscar sister. This was the eye shocker of chapters one and two because you would figure how Lola was pushing oscar to do ex-cerise, and was such a positive person but you would never guess that she HATED HER MOM SO MUCH! She fought with her mom so much, and even when her mom was weak and dying of cancer,she still managed to pick a fight with her. Lola is a very interesting character as well. There was so much tension in the house, that it drove her mom to locking her out and the only way was for her to get in was for Oscar to open his windows. It was up to the point where she ran away with a boy she didn't know well. This really was an eye opener because she fought and ran away from the house when her mom was ill. This broke my heart. Even thou her mom was a negative influence and brought her down you shouldn't leave your mom whose dying of cancer, work 2 jobs and come home tired to cooking and cleaning. Well see on chapter 3 how everything turns out.
A person changes for the better of themselves. If a person thinks they don't fix in they will try hard or do anything to fix in, such as oscar in the book. when someone things they fix in something always happens such as when oscar got his heart broken by Ana, their is always a downfall to ever good thing. A persons love for someone can be strong such a brother and sister and a mother and their children's, An brother can sister will always have each other back mean you can always argue with your parents even if they are going through hard times. I can relate to this because when my dad was sick from cancer i always gave him a hard time and argue with him for anything but its because the thought of him having cancer will always put me down and i always wonder what if i did wake up and he was not their one morning how will it be with out him and that made me upset but at the end of the day i always knew he was the only person that was going to be their for me and i shouldn't act that way to him. A lot of people don't know what they have until they loss it and when they do they will regret it, and think back what if i change this and that but it will be to late until they realize it.
DeleteFrom a conflict perspective the way Oscar dated two girls could have only lead to trouble. Because Maritza was tried of "sharing" Oscar with Olga she asked him to choose between them to, Oscar's relationship with both girl's was only a bomb waiting to explode in other words it was eventually meant to happen that two people would get hurt. The problem that this "threesome" caused was more than just two kids crying because of a broken heart but looking at it deeply it lead to Oscar's loss of confidence, his loss of Dominican "cassanova" identity, that little break up lead to his state of being as he is right now. Yet from a Gender perspective this book showed the power that women have over men who are sensitive and fragile. Maritza showed how some woman know how to use their power to control situations around them.
ReplyDeleteSurely, the relationship between the three was nothing more than a ticking time bomb. Though they were young, they - namely Maritza and Oscar - weren't young enough not to know better. In Oscar's defense, he didn't see anything wrong with being with the two girls at the same time. In fact, he welcomed the "little flirtatious child" persona and enjoyed the attention he received as a result of it. However, once he broke up with Olga, he knew that he was doing something wrong and instead of comforting the female, he merely gave her a "Suck it up, don't be a baby" attitude. He hurt Olga without aby sign of shame or contrition, just to be with someone who had nothing more to her than beauty. As a result of bad karma (better yet, fuku), Oscar ended up being hurt by the same girl he dumped Olga for. Just like Oscar knew what he was doing once he dumped Olga, Maritza discarded him in the same fashion: for someone else. Though someone might defend this as them just being young and learning, youth isn't a reason strong enough to make up for the fact that two individual intentionally hurt another and two individuals were hurt out of the group.
DeleteJunot Diaz is a good writer from what chapters one, two, and three contains. He starts of with a catch in each one. In chapter one, junot diaz focuses on oscar point of view. In chapter two he gives his sisters Lola's perspective on how everything is viewed. In chapter three he gives the view on their mother, Beli and talks about her childhood and her background information. He starts every chapter with the story of the main characters.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter three, you learn Beli life story. She was raised in D.R. by her foster mother. Beli was however sent to a private school. One part that shocked me was knowing that during Beli childhood, she became "boy crazy". She had very little friends because of her attitude. Beli comes across this boy names Jack, who she has sex with. He doesn't respect her. He gets sent away to military school. When she was at her teens, you can relate her to her son Oscar because their both a sucker for romance.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you; Oscar and Beli are very alike with certain things that they face during their childhood. They both have struggles with the opposite sex -Oscar at first getting his heart broken as a very young man while Beli fell easily for men who did no good to her. However, they are also very different, while Beli did try in some ways to expand her horizons and get a taste of the different emotions and adventures that life can offer (falling in love, getting her heart broken and trying to find herself through the situations she had to face.) In the other hand, Oscar goes through life drowning himself in all the different bumps of his life, due to the girl problems he had during his childhood his self-esteem went down as in comparison to his mother even after she had a bad experience with Jack she eventually moved on -Oscar didn't, he was stuck on what if's through the couple of pages that narrated his life. Oscar went "girl crazy" in his early years in which he was even involved in a relationship with two girls at the same time yet, his mother went "boy crazy" later on in her life -both characters portraying how most typical Dominican people at tent to behave. Oscar started with a good relationship with the opposite sex and then it all went down hill, meanwhile his mother was put in the face of certain boys that didn't care much about her or who weren't good for her. Therefore, I believe Junot Diaz wanted to contrast how alike and also how the life of boys and girls can differ.
DeleteIn the second chapter Lola narrates in the first person view. She describes the day that her mother (in which lola calls her "Belicia") calls her into the bathroom to help her examine a lump that she has found in one of her large breasts. which turn out to be breast cancer. Lola gets a these witch feeling that something is about to change. Lola and here mother never had the best relationship , there relationship was always rocky and they always fight even after she knows that her mother was dying from breast cancer. in which i think lola is wrong for that and she should had been their for her mother but she doesn't because she hates her mother too much. she runs away with a guy name aldo and their relationship was rocky and when she gets lonely she call her brother to meet up with her but this made her end up going to DR to live with her nena inca- because oscar bought his aunt and uncle and his mother with him to see lola. i think lola mess up when she ran away with her boyfriend because at the end of the day family will always be there and guy will just come and go - plus their is a lot of guys out their. In DR she meet a guy name max while she was attending high school, Even In DR lola get these witch feeling again but it come from her family from the past.
ReplyDelete(From Irlenny)
ReplyDeleteSunday, February 12, 2012
I am completely in love with this book. When I first started reading the book I thought that it was going to be completely about Oscar and how he isn't the typical Dominican guy. As I continued reading the book i was feeling bad for Oscar because of all the troubles that he is facing and his problems with the girls that he falls for and trying to be the person that his family wants him to be. The thing that I really like about Oscar is that he tries to shut out what his family wants hi to be like. For example when he went to D.R instead of going out with his cousins and trying to get girls he preferred to be at home working on his writing, this shows that he doesn't really care about the stereotypes of being a true Dominican he just likes being himself. This book has me wanting to read more and more trying to find out whats going to happen later on in the book.
Posted by Lenny at 3:52 PM
As I continue reading this book I can relate more and more to the book. The book has changed point of view now it talks about Lola and her life. During the beginning of the book I always thought that Oscars mother favored Lola more than she did to Oscar but in reality she sort of favors Oscar more. Reading the book i have realized that Lola's mother treats Lola the way that she expects her to be a perfect daughter who cooks and cleans and is perfect. But Lola isn't that way Lola is tired of being treated and eventually runs off. I can relate to this because I have a Dominican mother who excepts me to be at home all day cleaning and being the perfect daughter. But based on what I have read I sort of believe that Lola's mother has some sort of hatred towards Lola. The way he mother treats her and not believing Lola about being abused shows that she doesn't really care about Lola. I still don't know what is the story behind Lola's mother or it's that shes changed because of her cancer but it seems like she doesn't love Lola at all. So far I will keep reading the book to find out what is that reason that Lola's mother has so much hatred towards her.
Even though I've only completed the first chapter, I'm already entranced by this book.
ReplyDeleteThe main character, Oscar, is someone that I can relate to in the sense of his tribulations, his hobbies (anime, playing video games) and other things. His fall from grace was very much an interesting read, seeing how he dumped one girl for the next - only to be dropped by the girl which he chose.
And while that continues to chew him out, he tends to make life better for himself - choosing to make things right instead of lying to himself in order to feel better.
I also feel that Oscar is stuck with a bunch of expectations due to his nature: being a "fly bachatero", living like a "player" and keeping up with the females. It's an unjust thing to say that one person should be this way because of the history of those before them - if anyone can be anything they want to be, so can Oscar.
As I continue reading the book I get more drowned into it. A good technique that the authors uses is the change in perspective, he let's the readers get the point of all the characters -starts with Oscar then Lola then Beli. Because of this we can get attached to the characters, we can learn more about them and relate to someone and maybe all of them at the same time. For example as I was reading the book in the perspective of Lola I could relate to her when she described the way a "perfect Dominican" daughter is they do as they are told, they clean and never complaint and that is the way I behave with my father as a "perfect Dominican" daughter since anything else is not acceptable at all in most of the Dominican households where a single parent is in charge. In another part of the same chapter Lola says "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." The way that I can relate to this is that at times that's what I feel like telling some people, they start judging others in the way that they act, and dress but then again we all face different struggles growing up and no one has the right to judge the other. This quote grabbed my attention because it made me realize that no one has the right to judge no one else yet it comes easy to us to make fun or how the other looks or how the other dresses.
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DeleteI agree with Nadelyn, the technique she describes as perspective change does indeed let the readers obtain the point of view of all of his characters in his story. This technique gives the reader in a sense seem like they are having a conversation with the author and are exchanging themes and views upon his ideas. This helps the readers further understand the story as each theme is told through characters most likely to go through these problems. For example one should not expect Lola to go through the same problems that Oscar goes through so the author tells separate stories through these two characters to helps us understand the problems we see in our society and in a more bigger view, how can we begin to stop it. This helps enrich the story's plot and give the reader something to look forward to. Some may argue that this technique may confuse the audience throwing them off track from the authors main theme but i disagree. There is no one main theme in any story. All stories contain various themes little or small but all share the same importance which is why the author included them in the story in the first place. I personally love this technique in stories as they make it more easier to locate the themes the author place in his stories to make it more interesting. Junot Diaz does a great job using perspective change as it make it easy to grasp themes and gives his story more of twist rather than most book that have only one straight forward format.
DeleteI agree with Ramon. This technique helps me personally learn more about the character's personal life so I would not look at them in a way that they do not deserve. I do not see how anyone could get tricked up by this technique unless they are not paying much attention to the plot and characters in general. I have read many books in my past and even just skimmed through several books that used this type of technique and I knew about every character as if I read the book over and over so in conclusion, I think more books need to be like this! Anyone agree?
DeleteOkay, finally getting back into the groove of reading when I have free time (and the break has many opportunities which must not be missed...) and I've completed the second chapter, covering Lola's progression of life.
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It's a twisted tale all around - expected to be the "perfect Dominican daughter" by her cancer-stricken mother, and progressively deviating from that expectation as her mother continually saps away her happiness for emotional and matriarchal gain - establishing her dominance in the family, that which Lola was an opponent of.
Her tale is a sad one: no real friends (until Karen), no one liking her punk girl image, a rather unbecoming lifestyle and the all-too-common teenage angst which pushes her to escape it all on her own.
The relations I tend to draw from that of Lola's is that the idea of living to please others shouldn't be perpetuated any further, instead there should be much more of a free will lifestyle - an experience where people won't be judged on how they look, how they live and other miscellaneous categories.
If there's something that I know about when it comes to teen novels (of which I am a fan and a writer of), it's that angst which drives teenagers to do things which are unlike their certain character, either as a way to prove they're not as dumb as one would think or to shut up naysayers - even going as far as detaching themselves from others in order to live more freely and without any strings holding them back, whether it's family, friends or the world in general. For Lola, it's her fascination with stories of runaways which partially pushes her to make some life-changing decisions - she also makes a lot of connections between her own situations and the characters of those books in particular.
Lola is an interesting character - rather dynamic, as Oscar's run-ins with her in the first chapter weren't very pleasurable to read, but with more character development, she's much more of an interesting person to follow.
( - Leroy Sylva)
As I progressed through the book I began to notice the significance of gender in this story. As we continue reading we see Oscar begin to change the he acts, the things he likes and even the way he looks all for one reason to get a girlfriend. This goes directly against the patriarch ideology of how woman have little influence in society and are overshadowed by men. In the story we see how Oscar has to completely change who he is in order to be with the first girl he ever "loved" Ana. I believe woman hold the power to change men to the very core of there personality and alter there very being. As a male reading the story thus far I can only infer that in order to be the one you love you have not be yourself. You may have to give up on the things you use to enjoy and worse case scenario even the way you think, act, and look. This goes even further in contradicting many gender stereotypes such as Oscar a male protagonist being portrayed as a "inperfect" male which in society woman are shown as the ones now perfect (due to complaining about weight, hair, and makeup, ect). I am looking forward to see what will happen next in Oscars love life, will he change to his former self or continue with his on going facade?
ReplyDeleteI agree. I honestly did not like the fact that Oscar changed as a person, especially when it came from him being himself to someone that tries to get other people to like him. Me personally I feel like you should not have to change yourself and people should like you for well you. I am also looking forward to seeing how Oscar's love life will turn out, but I am hoping that it does not conclude in such a horrible ending, but yet a dazzling tale that would keep me interested.
DeleteAlso in agreement with Ramon - it seems rather unfair for a person to change what they are in order to satisfy some sort of criteria set by somebody else.
DeleteContradictions are very much abundant as patriarchal ideology is completely ignored for a more matriarchal ideology - putting women up as the champions and the men completely overshadowed.
Oscar's story is an interesting one as he tries to cope with the expectations of his ethnicity, his own expectations with females and his constant failures and shortcomings in order to satisfy his own desires.
i agree with what Ramon has to say about the whole gender theory. When people think whats going on in a males head, they usually think about what better ways they can improve themselves on how they can get more girls. In the book, in this case, oscar like ramon says, makes a 360 and changes a lot of things about himself.
Delete( continued) In the ways that he changed his whole outer image and tried to work on the inside, but he had problems with it. He slacked and he fell in love again. His changing himself for the better and worst. Now that its changing perspective you do know what is going on with Oscars life.
DeleteI haven’t read much of the book but I’m really enjoying the book. It’s about an overweight guy that people thought was a typical Dominican when in reality he is the complete opposite. For example, Oscar’s uncle had told him,” listen, palomo: you have to grab a muchacha, y meteselo. That will take care of everything. Start with a fea. Coje that fea y meteselo!” These lines are basically saying that Oscar should grab any girl and have sex with her. When I use my reader response lens I could really relate to him and his lifestyle. I know people who are Dominican but don’t act like typical Dominicans. His uncle made it seem like every Dominican just wants to stick it into just anyone, when some Dominican guys have respect for females. Oscar also came to realize that his friends aren’t what he thinks they are he finally realized that his friends might just be embarrassed by him. He realized this when Migg and Al were always hanging out with girls. He wondered why they never hung out with him outside of playing video games. I personally feel like this is a messed up situation because friends shouldn’t be embarrassed of each other. I feel like Oscar would come to realize who his true friends are at the end of the book.
ReplyDeleteI've only read a bit of the book but my attention was automatically captured. I like that The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao does not start with an overly dramatic glance into the main characters beginnings but with a strong flash the historical beginnings of the character’s people and the force that is believed to power the events illustrated in the entire book itself. The deep descriptions of fuku makes you expect a gruesome tale of violence and murder but as you continue reading the author shows that fuku can strike at any time and in any way including giving a kid bad luck with the ladies and a “gland” problem. At first the side Dominican Republic history lessons were annoying but they helped me see the constant underlying presents in the Dominican culture, which is fuku. I’m sure fuku will rear its ugly head again in the book making Oscar Wao’s wondrous life a brief one.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about the "side Dominican Republic history lessons". (: I felt the same way about the footnotes at the bottom of the page. I found it rather annoying at first to begin reading a sentence, then having to go down and read the sometimes extensive footnotes on something completely different, only to return back to that sentence I began and continue on. However, I've come to realize that the footnotes are indeed useful, being that they provide history and substance to Oscar's frequent references to things we otherwise wouldn't know of.As for the Dominican Republic history lessons, I feel that they give us a better understanding to who Oscar is as a person. It gives insight to a person who might not know of Dominican culture and shows the beliefs shared by him and his people, such as the fuku. The beginning description of the fuku and the dreadful things that come along with the fuku as a package sets the tone for the resr of the book, making you wonder how fuku will affect Oscar's own life.
DeleteAs I was reading the book during the break, there was a quote that really grabbed my attention. When the book is told from the perspective of the mother of Lola and Oscar -Beli; she describes how she felt when she spent time with the gangster she said that "For the first time I actually felt like I owned my skin, like it was me and I was it." As I read that I could relate to her reasons to say this. When you are in a relationship with someone you get the chance to show them a side of you that no one has seen before and for many it means that you don't hold back the certain things that you hold back from others. In other words, you get to start things with that person without hiding any details from them because when you care for someone you let them know every little detail of you. Is not easy to be free because of the many different stereotypes that are in society today and is hard for everyone to be who they are -is easy to feel trapped as if your skin was your cage because you can't show others who you are 100%. Our character Beli believes that she is in love with the gangster and due to this she lets him know all about her meanwhile he doesn't show that he is "free" since later on in the book we find out many things that he didn't tell our poor girl Beli; like for example that he is married and to the sister of Trujillo, he doesn't let Beli know his true intentions with her and that he isn't truly in love with her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with NadelynP. The gangster that Beli is in love with is not in love with her. This shows some gender theory because some guys actually intensions are not the same as women intensions. You can relate with the kind of guy Beli's in love with to todays men because thats what most of them want from girls. They pic the most fragile one and tell the girls lies just to get in their pants. You can tell that Beli is a helpless romantic because she open up to a guy she knows nothing about. You can compare Lola with her mom because they believed in a men, the only difference is that Lola boyfriend, and her were on good terms and he let her stay in her house when she ran away from home. As we go along more in the book, you see how if you put on your social lens glasses, you see many things; like gender theory.
DeleteAs I Read I come to realize that Oscar isn't the only one who is dealing with a hard life or dealing with issues. His sister was raped by a senior when she was in the 6th grade and now it’s as if she's a rebel. I also came to realize that Oscar was jealous of his friends and their success in finding girlfriends their senior year in high school that he began to not hand out with them after a while. After a while Oscar started writing books, still played video games, and he also complained about dying a virgin. You could tell that he wasn't comfortable in his own skin and I personally feel like I could relate to that because when I was younger I wasn't comfortable in my body. I felt like I was ugly and that no one would want to look my way but then I realized that it's what on the inside that matters not the outside. Oscar fell in love with a girl named Jenni and that was when he started to take care of himself a lot more. But I feel like Oscar was slightly the controlling type he didn't like seeing Jenni with other people and even turned to drinking, he even thought about suicide.
ReplyDeleteThis is all I have for now and I’m really enjoying the book.
Throughout The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao, it seems as if all the main characters all had their own issues with life, as any human would too. Lola did have a tough childhood getting rapped at a young age, or any age at all, will be scaring for the rest of your life. I do agree that Oscar isn't the only one with problems as the book goes through more perspectives of characters you will discover that each member of the family had issues. My question is, is it possible that this was caused by the FUKU curse? Getting back on topic the mom didn't have the most pleasant childhood either, being with a boyfriend in high school, who not only denied her also ruined her future career as a medical doctor, then to make matters worst as an adult finding out that she has breast cancer. What was most shocking was when Lola strikes back at her, I can imagine this most be very difficult for any mother. As far as you being uncomfortable with your body, don't ever feel that way, we are all beautiful :)! You brought to my attention Oscar's behavior with Jenni, I feel that Oscar isn't necessarily over protective as you put it, you must keep in mind that Oscar never really had a girlfriend other then his small fling with Olga and Maritza, so with him actually being with a girl, I'm sure this is his cause for being “over protective”
DeleteThis may seem a bit pre mature and that's due to I haven't been reading the book like I was supposed to but from what I have read so far the book talk about the struggling life of a socially awkward obese individual who has no clear view of who they are as a person and or where the belong in the society for example on pages 20 and 21 the artist talks about how oscar "wore his nerdiness" proudly in a sense that he couldn't become "normal if he wanted to. which is retrospect as an teenager I can understand first hand because I'm at the age where most people find out who they are what they like as in individual and what I'm into may not be the same as anyone else which will eventually make you seem socially awkward or abnormal- D.B
ReplyDeleteIt might be to late now, but I always question Junot Diaz style of writing, It amazes me. Through Junto Diaz novel The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao he uses the Spanish language. For example using words like pariguayo. Wouldn't the Spanish language make it slightly more difficult for an non-spanish reader? Or does it create a fun reader experience where you would have to do the research in order to figure out what the word means? Through my perspective as a Spanish reader, it's very enjoyable for me, whenever I read it it makes me smile or laugh, however does it do the same for you? Does it frustrate you?Another thing I question was his use of Italics certain words he Italics, but others he leaves alone. For example sometimes he Itlalics the word Love and other times he doesn't. Does any one have an answer to this? Does the Italics makes the word to be taken more seriously? Lastly is his use of footnotes, I personally got to enjoy the footnotes, I learned about Dominican culture, etc. However are they really necessary, did Junto really need to add them in? Do the footnotes really hold a significant role to the story? Of course I'm excluding the first to pages that explains the Fuku curse and the belief behind it.
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