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This Is How You Lose Her Analysis

797 Words4 Pages

Kinga Ryczek
Midterm Essay: Prompt #2
LSP 200: Autumn 2015

This is How You Lose Her

Yunior, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic begins his story by making it clear that “I’m not a bad guy. I know how that sounds- defensive, unscrupulous- but it’s true.” (p.3) In the book, This is How You Lose Her the reader is presented with the journey of a young boy turning into a man in a series of flashbacks as he grows to discover his true inner self. The author Junot Diaz conveys the message of masculinity and race, as he wants the reader to understand the development of a relationship given these two variables. To further reflect upon this notion, one must ask what do these two articles have in common? The author sheds light on Yunior’s race …show more content…

Diaz has overcompensated the trait of masculinity when it comes to Yunior. Yunior has been involved with many women in his life however; he has chewed and spit the women up like a piece of gum. Yunior is not afraid of commitment; he simply has never been taught how to treat women the proper way. His family checked out and his only understanding of love and relationships is based off his father’s infidelity and his brother’s insensibility towards women. The men in his life have shown a high level of masculinity and have furthermore abused Yunior. He reflects upon this when he mentions his father, “he would pull our ears and smack us, and then we would have to kneel in the corner for a few hours.” (p.134) In many instances one would say that Yunior sees women as an object, only for his uses and desires. However, this is the only way he was taught to look at women. Yet, Yunior’s masculinity is perceived as the need to behave in same matter as his father and brother have towards women. Yunior would, “When my girl said, who was that? I said, just some girl.” …show more content…

Whether it’s when he shows his vulnerability towards his then- girlfriend “Madga half naked in public I’m feeling vulnerable and uneasy.” (p.15) Or when he describes the moment “I was starting at you and you were starting at me and right then it was sort of like love, wasn’t it?” (p.89) Yunior does not hold back his thoughts or feelings when he describes what is going through his mind. As he matures, he starts to become lonely and out of place, at this moment in time he has come to a realization that these are the consequences he is faced with. After the damage has been done, he holds the weight on his shoulder as his life slips into pieces. Diaz summarizes Yunior’s story and affect in “The Cheater’s Guide to Love” chapter bringing life to the karma that follows Yunior. At the end of the day, as Diaz states, “sometimes a start is all we ever get.”

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