In the short story Ysrael we are introduced to two brothers who live in the Dominican Republic. The brothers Yunior and Rafa are sent to the countryside, commonly referred to as el campo to go spend the summer with their uncle. In what appears to be an ordinary coming of age story, turns out to be much more. In el campo there is a tale of a boy named Ysrael who wears a mask to hide his hideously disfigured face, caused by his facial flesh being devoured by a pig. The young brother’s curiosity gets the better of them, as they embark on a quest to unmask the hideous Ysrael. As the story progresses, we can conclude these adolescents are not as innocent as their young age suggest, but rather malevolent in nature, while an attempt to maintain a manly facade. Every culture has their flaws, Rafa the elder brother depicts the subject of machismo perfectly, which plagues Latin American culture, where one’s ego is in command and reigns over one’s sense of morality. Juno’s Ysrael Machismo prompts that reinforcement …show more content…
Rafa is only twelve years old and already prematurely possessing an abnormally high sexual impulse for someone his age, although this is most likely, due to sexual behavior in young males being a sign of manhood and highly praised in Latin Americas masculine culture. Furthermore, Rafa continues to display several more signs of masculinity, by revealing his aggressive side and his fixation to resort to violence. For example, “If I was stupid enough to mouth off-about the hair that was growing on his back or the time his pinga had swollen to the size of a lemon-he pounded the hell out of me (2).” Rafa resorts to violence in an effort to extinguish his little brother’s attempts to embarrass and divulge his insecurities. This information can cause Rafa to exhibit softness, which can make him appear weak and
In a restaurant, picture a young boy enjoying breakfast with his mother. Then suddenly, the child’s gesture expresses how his life was good until “a man started changing it all” (285). This passage reflects how writer, Dagoberto Gilb, in his short story, “Uncle Rock,” sets a tone of displeasure in Erick’s character as he writes a story about the emotions of a child while experiencing his mother’s attempt to find a suitable husband who can provide for her, and who can become a father to him. Erick’s quiet demeanor serves to emphasis how children may express their feelings of disapproval. By communicating through his silence or gestures, Erick shows his disapproval towards the men in a relationship with his mother as he experiences them.
By reminiscing on his upbringing from living in Lima, Peru, a third world country. Father would constantly recall his biographical anecdotes to share with the family. Some stories were beyond gruesome in detail. Going in depth to the painful memories that still lingers around like a scar, my father told us how our grandfather, his own father, was abusive for even the most minute things. For instance, when my father would wore outfits that did not meet my grandfather’s standards, or looked into his father’s eyes fearfully when he was being punished, and even when he did not walk my grandmother to and from the grocery store. The mistreatment had reached the end of father’s patience when he became a rebellious son, breaking curfews and refusing to return home at the end of the day. In Junot Díaz 's short story Fiesta, 1980, narrated by an son, Yunior, who describes the hardships he and his Dominican family shared as they drove to a party in the Bronx in New York City. At the age of twelve, Yunior loses his innocence as a result from the never-ending verbal, emotional, and physical abuse his father, Papi, had taunted him with. This lost innocence was caused by what he had said, did, and did
To keep her daughter’s “virtue” intact Macaria beats her. In this way the mother establishes complete control over Marcela’s sexuali...
Upon returning to the Dominican Republic after many years, Yolanda decides to take a trip across the island––something her family views as ridiculous. “‘This is not the states’ . . . ‘A woman just doesn’t travel alone in this country.” (9) This quote highlights the sexism inherent in Dominican society. Yolanda’s family is asserting that women are not individuals capable of taking care of themselves. On another hand, Yolanda’s close friendship with Mundín causes tensions as their mothers confront them about crossing gender lines. “My mother disapproved. The outfit would only encourage my playing with Mundín and the boy cousins. It was high time I got over my tomboy phase and started acting like a young lady señorita. ‘But it is for girls,’ . . . ‘boys don’t wear skirts.’” (228) This is an example of how Dominican societal norms and gender roles have impacted the sisters. Yolanda and Mundín were the only boy-girl playmates out of all the García children, yet this was frowned upon by both of their parents as to not impede the seemingly inevitable growth of Yolanda’s femininity, and conversely, Mundín’s masculinity. Moreover, this shows how societally-prescribed gender roles were instilled in Yolanda at a young age. However, this is not the only way in which women’s freedoms are
A warped and twisted childhood: Tayo, the half-breed neither the people of his unknown father or the Laguna people of his mother wanted him—he represented the evil destruction brought upon the people of the desert by the greed of the white man; who took without any regard of the ‘mother’ raping and pillaging the earth destroying her off-spring to feed the armies of Mexican and white laborers taking from the land trees, minerals, and killing her animals. Tayo’s first years were horrible living in cardboard and tin shacks—when his mother was not selling her body and soul for a bottle of booze. “They found their own places to sleep because the men stayed until dawn. Before they knew how to walk, the children learned how to avoid fists and feet” (Silko, 100). ...
From the beginning, men in the Dominican Republic shared stories of terrible male dictators, including the Trujillo, and the abuse they placed on women. Men began to heap on women and throughout history, have continued to treat women unfairly. In response, women in the Dominican Republic are targeted by male’s dominance because of the continuing history. Lola, Isis's mother, grew up with a rough upbringing. Lola narrates her past in a way that shows how abusive and aggressive her mother Beli is because she had no father.
In this lifetime, society has very pragmatic views. This makes it difficult to feel normal if you are considered different. You may be viewed as an outcast, which can make growing up harder than it already is. The idea of self-concealment is a sexual lesson that ones’ survival depends on.(Sullivan) Sullivan speaks of his own experience as a child, opening up with a story of an un-willful desire for a boy unchanging in front of him in the locker room. Sullivan states, “ He learns that that which would most give him meaning is most likely to destroy him in the eyes of others; that the condition of his friendships in the subjugation of himself”. This demonstrates why a homosexual may be deceitful and contained. Being young is a time to explore, understand ones’ self, and be open about your true personality. I believe the authors’ views because I see it daily .With these conflicts, a child may miss out on the carelessness of youth which is natural to experience before ...
Family is one of the most important institutions in society. Family influences different aspects of a person’s life, such as their religion, values, morals and behavior. Unfortunately, problems may arise when an individual’s belief system or behavior does not coincide with that of family standards. Consequently, individuals may be forced to repress their emotions or avoid acting in ways that that are not acceptable to the family. In the novel The Rain God, written by Arturo Islas, we are presented with a story about a matriarchal family that deals with various conflicts. One major internal conflict is repression. Throughout the novel the characters act in strange ways and many of the family members have internal “monsters” that represent the past that they are repressing. In his article, “The Historical Imagination in Arturo Islas’s The Rain God and Migrant Souls”, Antonio C. Marquez’s implicitly asserts a true idea that The Rain God is a story about repression. Marquez’s idea can be supported from an analysis of secondary sources and a reading of the primary text.
In contrast to the commonality of sex in Diaz’s Dominican world, sex in Kindred is secretive, violent, and has a negative connotation attached due to the culture norms in the early 19th century. Even though Rufus supposedly loves Alice, he repeatedly rapes her because “There was no shame in raping a black woman, but there could be shame in loving one” (124 Butler). Rufus uses sex as a form of violence against women, which could have been influenced by his father’s rape relationships with other slave women, during Rufus’s childhood. As a powerful white man Rufus is able to control Alice and since she is a slave and a woman, she is unable to refuse him, which is evidence to suggest women’s low status. Another example of the dark, violent depiction of sex in Kindred is the almost rape between Dana and the policeman. Her fear of rape allowed her to return home, which indicates that sex is a form of violence in this setting. Dana’s narration of the event signifies the negative depiction of sex and violence expressed in a black woman’s life in the early 19th
In the course of Garcia Marquez’s work, the importance of respect was revealed to be taken almost sacredly in the characters’ Columbian culture. Honor was viewed as a crucial piece of one’s morality. Without honor, one was considered an outcast in society. For example, Angela Vicario was sent home on her wedding night because she was not a virgin. As a result, her mother beat Angela for invoking dishonor upon the family. Angela explains to the narrator, “‘I wasn’t crying because of the blows or anything that had happened… I was crying because of him,’“(P. 91, Garcia). Angela acknowledged that her impurity was reprehensible, therefore she accepted her mother’s thrashing. Her immoral actions led to a failed marriage and scorn upon her family, as well as her husband, Bayardo San Roman.
What was it that caused the aggression and dominance exhibited by the boys of Lord of the Flies? Was it some metaphysical, spiritual force, or perhaps their genetic makeup? Could it have been the influence of their peers or families, or was it the media that inspired this dangerous pattern? Conceivably, their gender had something to do with this appalling trait. It all begs the question, would the same experiences have occurred had females been stranded on the island instead of males? Had females been in a similar situation as the boys in Lord of the Flies, they would have fared abundantly better. Initially, this paper will address society’s role in encouraging males’ violent behavior, as well as females’ politeness and passivity. Secondly, it will be discussed how family socialization influences females’ gentle natures and males’ aggressive temperaments. Finally, this research will explore both gender’s leadership styles, and scientific perception behind these differences.
WEESR, KHATHERINE. “Tu no Eres Nada de Dominicano”: Unnatural Narration and De-Naturalizing Gender Consruction in Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. “Journal Of Men’s Studies 22, no.2 (Spring2014 2014): 89-104. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 30,
In the essay: “ ‘Cinderella’: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts”’, Bruno Bettelheim discusses how Cinderella is a story about the difficulties of sibling rivalry and the degraded heroine ending up on top of the siblings that oppressed her. Bettelheim argues that sibling rivalry is created when a child feels that they cannot win their parents love and esteem in comparison to his brothers or sisters. In addition he argues that every child feels that they deserve to be degraded at some point in their life. The concept of Oedipal guilt, his last point, has some intriguing details included in it, concepts of which could be disputed. However, the main focus of this essay is on how children justify the idea that they should be degraded, and because of the hardships they have faced, risen up and exalted like Cinderella was. He states that Cinderella relates very closely to the youth because they feel like they can relate to her situation more than the majority of people could.
The lack of paternal figures along with cultural expectations and stereotypes influenced the life and decisions made by Yunior, the protagonist in Junot Diaz’s Drown.
In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, he is telling the story of a Dominican family but mainly about the son, Oscar de Leon. The book opens with the story of Oscar as a child and him having two girlfriends at the same time. The older people in town see him as a ladies man and encourage him. The boy and the two girls all break up and his life seemed to be on a steady decline since then. He grows up to become a nerdy, fat, and awkward adolescence with few friends and even less interest from girls. This phase persists throughout his life and he never develops out of the nerdy boy he was as a child. The Dominican Republic was a hostile and poor place during the time of the novel. The dictator Trujillo controls the lives of the people in the country. This influenced the de Leon family’s present and future. Diaz develops the story by using the superstition, the cane field, and male dominance of the Dominican men