Analysis Of The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz successfully links Dominican history during the reign of Trujillo directly to the characters' past, present, and future. Using narrative and literary elements, such as the symbol of Blank Page, Díaz argues that it is necessary for one to record history and understand it in order to become a more serene individual. The symbol of blank page emphasizes the effect of the blankness or emptiness of the past which creates a void of understanding in making correct decisions. He presents this theme by describing each character's point of view and struggles- in which many could have been avoided if they had known the mistakes of the hidden past. His use of narrative structure addresses each unique yet similar conflict of the intertwined past and present that had affected all three generations. From each perspective, the

The author then provides a harsh critique of the refusal to speak of the past and the destruction of written history which contributed to each character's problems and stress.
The unknown history of the past causes physical and emotional pain for many of the characters throughout the book. Díaz makes it clear that literally many parts of history was erased and never recovered again. It is seen through the text, "What's certain is that nothing's certain. We are trawling in silence here. Trujillo and Company didn't leave a paper trail..." (Díaz, 243). As a result, this leaves Beli without an identity and essentially no place that really felt like 'home'. The literal destruction of history plays the role of denying one's self-worth as well as the beginning of a horrid curse that is simply created from the unknown past that no one has spoken about.