Dominican Republic Curse

People often use the phrase “I’m cursed” to explain their bad luck. Someone might claim to be cursed because they end up nearly being killed several times or they have repeated relationship issues. We always tend to associate curses with negative events in our lives. In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, we are introduced to a Dominican Republic curse, Fuku. Fuku has done things to the characters in the book that many could say is bad luck, but coincidentally both of them ended up in the same situation and both of them live really miserable lives. This could only have been done by the supernatural force: Fuku. Through Oscar and Beli’s life experiences, Diaz conveys that the supernatural - the Dominican Republic curse “fuku”

Beli falls in love with the Gangster, who we learn is connected to Trujillo, and we know from the narrator that “anyone who plotted against Trujillo would incur a fuku most powerful” (Diaz 3) and the Gangster was married to Trujillo’s sister. This is problematic for Beli because as the Gangster’s mistress, she is going against Trujillo. For this, she is cursed. She is taken away by secret police officers sent by Trujillo and his officers were torturing her, since she was with the Gangster. The narrator states that “They struck her in the head and back.” (Diaz 142) Beli was taken away and she was being tortured in order for them to also kill the baby that she had. She was about to be killed because “They beat her like she was a slave. Like she was a dog.” (Diaz 147) The officers related to Trujillo viewed Beli as less than human. Beli did not deserve to be treated this way, but she had no control over their actions because this was brought on by fuku. They left her to die in the canefields, but she was able to survive. After this experience, her life doesn’t ever really improve, she marries a man that leaves her, she gets cancer, and in the end, when Oscar dies, she thinks it’s her fault. Clearly, Beli is plagued by fuku for her entire