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Theme Of Isolation In The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

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The novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz focuses on the outside forces that occasion feelings of & the disparity between states of isolation. Isolation is the unmitigated dissociation from the rest of society, as was experienced by characters like Oscar & Belicia, whose existence functioned to epitomize the seclusion of a nation; the Dominican Republic. Aspects dealing with skin color, gender expectations & stereotypes assist in the connection as to why isolation exists not only in the novel, but also in the real world. Such elements have for long been utilized to label & reject different members of society, but like the difference of the characters in the novel, was the condition of isolation real or imagined? Examining the differences and …show more content…

Beli lived through a near death experience for love, but Beli was not the only one who felt as though in one moment she had risked it all for love, for Oscar also realized that when in love he followed “[the] road where he became so nuts over a girl he stopped thinking. The road where very bad things happened. You should stop right now, he told himself. But he knew, with lapidary clarity, that he wasn't going to stop. He loved Ybón.” Mother and son looked to love for escape, only to realize that there was no escaping the hex for them, as was exhibited by their deaths. Junot Diaz may have been trying to communicate the hardships of certain members of society in the Dominican Republic. The loveless isolation faced by Beli and Oscar most similarly reflects members of society that are of color, that are females, or that are children. Oscar and Beli faced a similar isolation to that of many people all because of things they have no control over (like the fuku or bad luck). Oscar was a character who resembled a child; mainly inexperienced with women and obsessively investing his time in fantasy and sci-fi. The more society rejected him for not conforming to

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Published in 2007, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz is about an unconvincing protagonist named Oscar de León. Even though Oscar is supposedly the main character of the novel, Díaz made a very clear choice of giving other characters the spotlight to change how the book should be read by his audience. Rather than having a clear start to finish plot of Oscar Wao, Díaz chose to weave in the stories of other characters throughout the novel to give his audience a better picture and understanding of Oscar as a person. Oscar’s lack of presence may be daunting to some readers as they attempt to figure out his purpose within the book. The choice that Díaz makes when writing this novel, ultimately paints Oscar de León as the protagonist

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For literature to be popularized, it has to fit into the standards of contemporary society or completely go against it. Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar completely goes against what is considered traditional when it comes to Dominican depiction. Oscar Wao is a narrative that follows various protagonists in their struggle with Fuku and Dominican life. Some notable themes include family, magic, fantasy, tragedy, romance, and dictatorship.

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145 Words | 1 Pages

2. This passage from Junot Diaz’s Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao is significant because it initiates the growing tension between Oscar and his love for comic books. Oscar is fascinated by the idea of superheroes which developed his interest to write comic books. Oscar only had a wish to have a girlfriend, but the fact that Oscar’s love for comic books and sci-fi animes was not allowing him to have a girlfriend. These comic books and animes in a way distract him from seeing that what is happening in the world which makes him ill-informed about the world.

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1828 Words | 8 Pages

The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz explores Latin culture in depth from various perspectives. This novel discusses deep concepts surrounding Dominican culture such as love, sex, fuku, gender, and power that shape the characters throughout the novel. These themes alter the way the culture functions and influences the youth into following these stereotypes. Gender, masculinity, and power are very prominent in the novel and often define the character for who he/she is. While the protagonist in this novel is Oscar de Leon, this story is mainly about how this culture and Oscar’s story has formed the narrator, Yunior, into becoming who he is at the end of the novel.

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1077 Words | 5 Pages

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” is a story that revolves around relationships. Obviously some of these relationships are between the main character and his/her counterparts, or family, or even opponents, but this book’s author would not dare make it so simple. Junot Diaz is known for venturing far outside the organization of storytelling and he makes no exception for “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” Thus, Diaz allows his characters to develop relationships with outside or real life parties, such as another entertainment franchise, modern world government, or even the book’s narrator.

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958 Words | 4 Pages

The main character Oscar and every male in the novel The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz had sexism implemented in them at a young age by their family and culture, damaging them and women permanently, hurting their egos and potential relationships. Oscar and the men in the novel were portrayed as players or longing to be. Oscar was a little player himself at the beginning of the story. He continuously flirted with girls and was encouraged to have several girlfriends.

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1976 Words | 8 Pages

As mentioned in the other paragraph, Diaz lived in the beginning of his years in Parlin, NJ. Diaz had a lot of struggles in his life trying to learn english and trying to fit in. Diaz began to read a lot and start to write, most of his reading done was to get better in english, and most of his writing was done to reflect his problems on a piece of paper (Newsmakers). As Diaz was growing up, he saw how his mother began to raised and take care of 5 kids, and started to work multiple jobs. Main reason why his mother began to do this was because his father decided to lay off and abandoned his family (Authors and Artists).

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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao “There was only one way to prevent disaster from coiling around you, only one surefire counterspell that would keep you and your family safe. Not surprisingly, it was a word. A simple word (followed usually by a vigorous crossing of index fingers). Zafa... If the Yanks commit an error in the late innings it 's zafa; if somebody brings shells in from the beach it 's zafa; if you serve a man parcha it 's zafa.

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The stories of Junot Diaz feature various elements of social and personal issues that are highly prevalent in young Latinx men, primarily the compulsion and adverse effect of machismo, the poignancy of being an outcast in one’s community, and the lack of a father figure in a boy’s life. The first set of short stories prominently feature Ysrael, a Dominican boy whose face was disfigured by a pig when he was an infant. In “Ysrael”, he is the object of Yunior’s fascination, and the victim or Rafa’s (Yunior’s brother) torment.

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In Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the image of Beli and Lola losing their virginities show how both characters believed that they found “love” but the men they lost their virginities with just used them for their bodies and sex, they did not truly love them. When Lola describes her experience she mentions, “...that hurt like hell, but the whole time I just said, Oh yes...because that was what I imagined you were supposed to say while you were losing your ‘virginity’ to some boy you thought you loved” (Díaz 64). This conveys how even though she was in pain while she was having intercourse, she put that aside because she thought she had true love and that was all that mattered at the time.

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1345 Words | 6 Pages

Dictators control the information that people are told. In The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz writes about Oscar’s life by using the viewpoints of all of his relatives and his friend. His friend, Yunior, talks about how the family has a curse that started with Oscar’s grandfather, Abelard. The curse is then transferred to Beli, Abelard’s daughter, and finally to Beli’s daughter, Oscar. During the Trujillo regime, the residents of the Dominican Republic have no freedom (Galindez).

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2127 Words | 9 Pages

The role that gendered expectations plays in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao constructs detrimental limitations for males while reducing females to sexual beings. The prevalent Dominican males in the novel reinforce an absolute definition of masculinity characterized by dominance, attractiveness, manifestation of sexuality, and oppression of women. Such masculinity is constructed through every aspect that Rafael Trujillo, the ultimate Dominican male, embodies. Through the endorsement of expected Dominican hypermasculinity, females are overtly hypersexualized by means of objectification, while men are confined to fulfilling expected roles. In failing to embody Trujillo’s misogynistic, patriarchal ideal, males and females in the novel marginalize

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938 Words | 4 Pages

Her sisters disappeared and she was left alone. No one in her father family wanted her because she was really darken and she was born bakini- underweight for a baby and ever sickly. ( Díaz,2008,pg 251-252). Even though many would believe that the fuku is the protagonist, it is clear that Oscar is the true representation of a protagonist because he is continuously judged because of his unexciting lifestyle and his lack in

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1550 Words | 7 Pages

Oscar experiences many situations in which he realizes the true reality of love, relationships, and the complexity of people. On the contrary, the narrator,

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749 Words | 3 Pages

Gloria Anzaldúa’s “La Prieta” tell her struggles with identity by talking about prejudices she dealt with while growing up. These prejudices, such as colorism, sexism, and heteronormativity, were not only held by people outside her social groups but within them as well. Anzaldúa goes on to explain the way identity is formed by intersecting factors and not only one aspect of someone’s life therefore denying one factor of identity can cause isolation and self-hatred. The fact that Anzaldúa developed faster than is deemed normal the first struggle in forming her identity.

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