In the the book The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, written by Junot Diaz, the author portrays the character of Beli as a bitter and aggressive mother who is most often times seen in the book acting in a cruel and violent manner towards her daughter Lola. However, her relentless attitude towards Lola is as a result of all of her victimized history growing up in the Dominican Republic. Beli’s is a one of the most complex characters within Diaz’s book, therefore her story throughout some parts of the book is narrated in third person rather than the typical first or second person narration. Diaz sets the book up in this style as a way for the audience to grasp a better understanding of Beli as a character. Although Beli is portrayed as a hostile mother towards her daughter Lola, it is a as a result of her traumatic past and through those experiences show that she possess a caring side to her. At the age of birth Beli lived an almost unbearable existence, being constantly passed from one guardian to the next after the death of her mother. Even after her rescue Beli grew up in her teen years being poorly …show more content…
As the book progresses, Diaz illuminates the reader’s understanding of the powerful emotions connected to the characters. By setting up narratives that provide further context to why certain characters act the way they do, such as Beli, the readers will then develop a greater understanding of the characters’ complexities. For example, a successful technique used by Diaz is embodied in Beli’s oath to never serve anyone but herself; “A first lesson in the fragility of love and the preternatural cowardice of men. And out of this disillusionment and turmoil sprang Beli's first adult oath, one that would follow her into adulthood, to the States and beyond. I will not serve. Never again would she follow any lead other than her own. Not the rector's, not the nuns', not La Inca's, not her poor dead parents'. Only me, she whispered. Me” (Diaz