A unique writer is someone who expresses his or her feelings throughout his narratives. Junot Diaz in my opinion is one of those unique writers. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, raced only by his hard working mother, Junot Diaz learned very valuable lessons during his childhood that helped him become who he is today. Not only does Junot Diaz write great stories, but he also tends to open up his feeling of what it meant to be an immigrant from the Dominican Republic throughout his narratives. Diaz humbleness and compassion towards others is illustrated in his writing. Not only does Diaz write novels and short stories, but he also takes action towards exposing the problems that the Dominican people especially women encounter everyday. Several …show more content…
people believe that Diaz is an antifeminist while others think he is a disgrace to the Dominican Republic. The true reality is that Diaz writes this way to expose the reality of what it means to be an immigrant from another country and how machismo affects Feminism in Latin cultures. Diaz illustrates his pro-feminism by exposing machismo and what women in Latin cultures deal with everyday. Machismo is a term used to describe the dominant male behavior in Latin cultures. Machismo can also be described as, a man objectifying a woman as a sexual object and men are entitle to full control over a woman. Furthermore, machismo is associated with a man's pride of proving their manliness by holding in their hand all the power and making women powerless. “Macho” a term used to describe a man in Latin culture, frequently cheats on his significant other to prove his masculinity. While it is absolutely wrong for a woman to cheat on a man, in the eyes of a machismo society if a man cheats it is a way of proving their manhood ,but if a women cheats she is considered to hussy. Many people, especially women with no Latin background who read Diaz’s work might think that Diaz is an antifeminist because of the way he objectifies women in his novels, particularly in his novel This is how you lose her. Women are constantly objectified as sexual objects, for example, in his the short story “ Nilda” he describes Nilda his brother's girlfriend as, “ She was a Dominican , from here, and had super-long hair like those Pentecostal girls, and a chest you wouldn’t believe.” The way he describes Nilda is very sexist, but as the story progresses the reader can tell that since the beginning of the story this girl had no future. A person with a Latin background can interpret this part of the story as Diaz’s exposing Machismo. For example, Nilda being objectified as a sexual object plays a huge part in what women in a Latin community deal with everyday. Mostly because machismo in most Latin countries is perceived as part of the norm. Oftentimes, women are treated as secondary class citizens with no voice. Diaz does a great job exposing machismo in his stories. By exposing machismo in his stories Diaz is revealing the unfairness of what is meant to be a women form a Latin culture because women in this culture are not allowed to have a voice of their own unless they fight for it. Furthermore, Diaz also exposes machismos in these stories throughout his character Yunior, who in This is how you lose her, he tries to be the most “macho” masculine character portray.
Throughout the book we see this charter constantly cheating and objectifying women. The last chapter of this book, "The Cheater’s Guide to Love" he cheated on his fiancé with not one or two, but with fifty other women in the course of five years. This comes to show that in order for his character Yunior to feel masculine in his culture he had to cheat with fifty other women. Cheating gave him the pleasure of feeling masculine. Yunior tries to justify himself by blaming others as well as, his culture by saying, “ You claim you’re a sex addict and start attending meetings. You blame your father. You blame your mother. You blame the patriarchy. You blame Santo Domingo.” Oftentimes, Latino men do not have the courage to admit their mistakes and they try to blame others. For example, Yunior throughout the course of the stories always tries to find someone to blame for his unfaithfulness. However, it seems like this is the only time in the book where we finally see Yunior acknowledging his mistakes. He recognizes all the damage that he has caused these women over the course of his unfaithfulness as well as the e damage caused to …show more content…
himself. However, Diaz also portrays a strong female role model in his book Drown. In the short story “Aguantando” he displays a strong independent woman who is willing to do anything to make a better future for his sons despite their social economic situation. The mother of Yunior is a strong female role who in this story did not depend on any men, not even the father of her sons to move along with their lives. She worked hard to provide for her sons, she tries to remain strong despite all the problems that surrounded her. This comes to show that Diaz was not afraid of showing a strong independent women in his stories and that like men women can be independent human beings. With this in mind, it looks like Diaz writes his books in a way that helps portray the deep unaddressed sexism that is infused in our culture.
In many of his interviews he states, “ I admit that, by tackling the topic head-on, I risks writing a book that is perceived as sexist (or is sexist).” He also quoted a famous line from James Baldwin: "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." As you can see Diaz likes grabbing the bull by the horns. He is not afraid of showing us the true colors of our society. He exposes all the hidden problems that not only Latin women face, but also what every other women around the world faces. Inequality is still a problem that we currently still face. Feminism is not only about having equal rights between men and women, but it is also about having equal rights for everyone despite skin color, sexual preferences and
gender. Latin feminist believe in equality for everyone, and their main goal is to end machismo within their culture. One of the most famous and influential Latin feminist organization within the United States is the Chicana feminist. Their main goals are to put an end to machismo as well as have equal rights for women of color. According to Grace Gil Olivarez, “ The Latin culture is politically and economically exploited by Anglo society. Latinos are considered subordinate, dependent and have been subjected to numerous accounts of genocide. Another type of oppression is due to gender. Women across the vast majority of cultures are considered subordinate and are universally oppressed by her male counterpart. In addition, there is also an internal oppression caused by the Latin heritage. Some identify this as machismo and caused by the colonization of the Chicano.” Although, feminist from the United States and Latin Feminist have the same goal of having equal rights among gender, Latin feminist also have to deal with the stereotypes that being a Latina brings them. Most of these women not only have to fight for their rights as a women but they also have to fight against the discrimination that they encounter because of their skin color. Apparently we live in a country that has equal right for everyone, yet we still encounter racism again gender and skin color. In conclusion, feminism is not only about show the positive side to things, but it is also about showing people the real problems that women face everyday. Like Junot Diaz, he takes the problems that women face daily and incorporates them in his narratives. He constantly exposes the main problem that Latin women face everyday. He does a great job exposing machismo and how women are perceive as sexual objects. Like I mention it before people will criticize him based on his writing by calling him an antifeminist because of the way be talks about women in his writing, but a person with a Latin background might see a complete different point of view. By exposing machismo in his stories Diaz is showing his pro-feminism because he is exposing one of the main problems that Latin women encounter everyday.
As much as men are working, so are women, but ultimately they do not face the same obstacles. For example, “Even if one subscribes to a solely economic theory of oppression, how can one ignore that over half of the world's workers are female who suffer discrimination not only in the workplace, but also at home and in all the areas sex-related abuse” (Moraga 98). This gives readers a point of view in which women are marginalized in the work place, at home, and other areas alike. Here Moraga gives historical accounts of Chicana feminists and how they used their experiences to give speeches and create theories that would be of relevance. More so, Moraga states how the U.S. passes new bills that secretly oppress the poor and people of color, which their community falls under, and more specifically, women. For instance, “The form their misogyny takes is the dissolution of government-assisted abortions for the poor, bills to limit teenage girls’ right to birth control ... These backward political moves hurt all women, but most especially the poor and "colored." (Moraga 101). This creates women to feel powerless when it comes to control one’s body and leads them to be oppressed politically. This places the government to act as a protagonist, and the style of writing Moraga places them in, shines more light to the bad they can do, especially to women of color. Moraga uses the words, “backward moves”
Negocios focuses mainy on immigration. This story follows a man who leaves his wife and kids in the Dominican Republic moving first to Miami then to New York. The thoughts of him not concerned of his family back in DR made the story really unique, he marries a woman just to attain a United States citizenship from abandoning his wife and son.. He faced many struggles on his journey showing his strength of character. IT means a lot to be an immigrant, having to deal with racism and injustice, having long work shifts and not being paid as much. Livig in substandard conditions was also a big thing. I believe that’s what hit Junot
"Your girl catches you cheating" (Diaz 1) and from the first line readers are thrown into the chauvinistic tendencies and sexist point of view of one Yunior de Las Casas. Readers are guided through Junot Diaz’s “The Cheaters Guide to Love” by the misogynist Yunior who sees women in an exclusively sexual sense, some of whom he does not even give the honor of naming. Feminists might look at Diaz's story and be skeptical of the themes presented, seeing as Yunior sexualizes and demeans all women. So then, how can readers understand the story to be anti-sexist if the only point of view presented in "The Cheater's Guide to Love" is a discriminatory one? The ultimate horizon for anyone with this much bottled up machismo is an empty sexual relationship with a parade of objectified women. Diaz, however, does not give Yunior the what the reader expects as his desired ending. He rather shows the reader that Yunior's behavior results in persistent unhappiness because what he really wants is a true human connection. Therefore, Diaz provides a sexist character
According to Junot Diaz’s short story "No Face", it’s sort of a reimagining of Ysrael’s life as a superhero narrative. Diaz explores how a man’s mental growth is stunted by his community’s perpetual scrutiny of him for reasons beyond his control and he relates the story in a very masculinity way which makes the story a powerful and strong with the character named No Face. He’s created a fantasy world in which to live, separate from the world that is so cruel to him. The story function here as the introduction of hope and revelation that such hope is fanciful. The influence of masculinity supports No Face’s goal and motive through his story.
In addition, these women were often subjected to control, domination, and violence by men” (Global). This validates Azuela’s stance on how women should stay within their traditional roles because fighting for equality has been ineffective even today.
By examining the narrative voice as well as the cultural restraints placed on them, readers can see the sexist culture in the novel and that the novel itself does not necessarily advocate this misogyny. Yunior, a Dominican man, is the overall narrator of the novel, so readers essentially see everything through his masculine eye. When discussing a brief fling with Lola, Oscar’s sister, Yunior says, “Even those nights after I got jumped she wouldn’t let me steal on her ass for nothing. So you can sleep in my bed but you can’t sleep with me?” (Diaz 169) His question suggests that it is his right to sleep with her, and his discussion of Lola herself objectifies her by noting only her body and her refusal to use it. This objectification is clearly sexist, but it is a reflection of the narrative voice, Yunior, not of Lola. Yunior will casually refer to a woman as “a bitch” (Diaz 183), which is clearly demeaning, but it is a man’s view and does not reflect on the substance of the women. It shows readers the culture he was raised in, not an actual portrayal of the women, illustrating a misogynist society but not a misogynistic novel. In the Dominican Republic, gender-based violence is the fourth leading cause of death, hinting at the overall problems caused by the hyper-sexualized nature of the country. Sociologist Denise Paiewonsky
...some try to break away from society’s definition of the female sex appeal and create their own definitions. The reformists among these women use the oppositional knowledge they get as outsiders-within the White-American feminists’ culture, to change the perception of the Latinas who choose to suppress this knowledge. When these women share their individual perspectives in a unanimous voice, they become a self-defined community. This community is not limited by the ideals of society, rather it opposes society and creates its own definition of the female sex appeal.
Throughout the story there is evidence that the main character is ashamed of himself and his background. He hides the government cheese, which tells us that he is in a low economic class. He also takes down embarrassing photographs of his family and himself, which is more indication that he isn’t proud of his family, background, or heritage. Yunior also tells us many things to do in order to be like other people, especially white people. He tells us that you need to run your fingers through your hair and to write directions for parents in your absolute best handwriting (Diaz 236). It is also evident that he is ashamed of his background when he states “You’ll wonder how she feels about Dominicans. Don’t ask.”(Diaz 237). Also, when he is telling the girl stories about the neighborhood, he says not to tell her that his mother knew immediately what t...
Her work has become inspirational to me and it is great to find an author who I can relate too. Her depiction of the Mexican American community could not have been more spot on. From how women are wrongfully treated to the racism that Mexican Americans have endured. She also gave me another perspective on how I view women in my culture. Mexican women, sadly to this day are still treated this way but, I have hope that eventually all women can make it out of those situations. Cisneros through her work was able to reach a broad audience and in this enlist change in our society. Cisneros works also gave me a history lesson of everything my community has gone through even though we still experience similar problem in today’s society. Overall there has been major improvements in the way life of many immigrants. Cisneros works are very inspirational and just confirms many of my doubts and shows me, if a Chicana back in 1980s could rise against all odds anything is
This is How You Lose Her is a book written by Junot Diaz consisting of short stories, told by the protagonist, Yunior. Yunior’s character is described as the Dominican guy who struggles with infidelity and unable to love others full-heartedly. Diaz also shows how in Dominican culture; men carry the reputation of being womanizers and usually is pass from one generation to the next. Throughout the book, he tells us stories pertaining to the relationships he had with the women he had in his life, and his family. From the stories one can assume that Yunior, caught up in a vicious cycle was destined to follow into patriarchy; a father who cheated on his mother, and an oldest brother who followed
To understand feminism in the novel, one must first understand the feminist lens itself. OWL Purdue describes the lens as “the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women” (Purdue). Feminism acts as both a commitment and a political movement that wants to end sexism in all forms. Most feminists generally disagree on many topics of the subject, however all have one common goal. These aspects affect The Things They Carry in a plethora of ways, mostly due to the fact that gender roles is a main theme. There are negative and positive aspects of the feminist lens. Positive contains the empowering of women and equality, whereas negative pertains to oppression and unequal rights. Both are covered in The Things They Carried from sex symbols to battle tor...
Yunior cheats on Magda with Cassandra while the relationship between him and Magda was distant and they barely got to see each other. Magda finds out that Yunior was cheating on her because her friend Claribel wrote a letter to her , telling her in details what Yunior did. Diaz makes the story realistic by both of them breaking up , but then Magda takes him back. She becomes curios if Yunior felt something for Magda or if she was better than her so she asked him questions. Although when she asked him these types of questions it was in the dark. Yunior says, “usually in the dark , when we couldn’t see each other. Magda Asked me if I’d loved Cassandra….Do you still think about her?....Did you like fucking her?” He would always say “No” to all these type of questions. Later on in the story he says, “The first night we did it- and it was good , too, she wasn’t false advertising,” he lies to her . He couldn’t accept the responsibility of at least telling her the truth but that’s why he tells her this in the dark because he cannot say the truth to her looking at her.
Julia Alvarez was an example of how a Latina writer identified herself in a new culture outside of her comfort zone. She, as a Dominican Diaspora, had to reinvent herself as she migrated into a new scenario. Her assimilation into the United States culture allowed her to understand and relate to the reader’s needs and points of interests. After all the effort, Alvarez kept in mind that she could not comfort to all the reality that she lived in, so she re-reinvented herself all over again to process her thoughts and beliefs into her life. She put her perspective on her writing so that the new wave of readers, even if they did not understand, could relate in some way and appreciate the differences. The sole purpose of her writings was for everyone to change their perspective from “walk to the other side of the street in order to avoid sharing the same sidewalk” to “I do not know them, but I do not avoid them because I do not know them”. She instilled in her reader’s mind how ordinary events were viewed differently through other cultures’ eyes. Her story Snow was a great example of how she portrayed her technique.
Feminism is approached by various meanings. As noted by a Salvadoran feminist activist Gloria Guzman, “It is a proposal for a change in the relations of power between people, men over women, and the relations of power expressed in the different realms of life” (Shayne, 2007).
Multiracial Feminism: Recasting the Chronology of Second Wave Feminism introduces ideas by Becky Thompson that contradict the “traditional” teachings of the Second Wave of feminism. She points out that the version of Second Wave feminism that gets told centers around white, middle class, US based women and the central problem being focused on and rallied against is sexism. This history of the Second Wave does not take into consideration feminist movements happening in other countries. Nor does it take into consideration the feminist activism that women of color were behind, that centered not only on sexism, but also racism, and classism as central problems as well. This is where the rise of multiracial feminism is put to the foreground and