Negative Influences: Drown

Numerous articles today argue the importance of a father figure in the life of every child.  A simple google search reveals articles from Colorado State, the University of Maryland, and countless psychology reports.  So it makes sense to see the large of effects on Yunior and Rafa when they grow up without a strong respectable father figure, which I believe to be one of the largest influences on both of their lives.

Their father is not even present for the beginning of either of their lives.  Yunior cannot recall a time where he has actually seen his father’s face and if Rafa can he does not specifically identify a time.  Yunior reveals his desire to have this figure in the final pages of Aguantando believing that his presence would fix everything wrong in his life.  Unfortunately as seen earlier in the book, later on in his life, his presence fails to help his family’s situation.

During the time in which Yunior and Rafa are found fatherless they are left to their own care for the most part.  Their mother worked long hours to support them and consequently was unable to give them emotional support, “We could never get Miami to do anything after work” (p. 73).  The boys moved from relative to relative in hard times and often were without adults (positive influences).

Furthermore, the presence of their father was even more detrimental to the development of Yunior and Rafa upon his arrival.  Their father was a violent man by his actions and his words, “If you eat anything, I’m going to beat you” (p. 37).  The two children learned to use violence to secure dominance as can be seen when Rafa attacked Ysrael so that he could merely see the pained face that was kept from him.

The most detrimental side effect that the children were exposed to by their father, I believe, was the affair between their father and his Puerto Rican mistress.  This indirectly caused both children to be exposed to inappropriate treatment of women (both their mom and the mistress).  The effects can be seen in Rafa’s premature wooing and sexual relations with young woman (Fiesta) and Yunior’s description of how he views women (also seen in Fiesta).  Even on top of the mistreatment of women, is the disrespect paid to their mother by denying her the right to know and in effect lying to her regarding their father’s cheating (43).

Both Rafa and Yunior are shaped by the environment in which they were born.  But through the poverty and bad influences of the kids and adults around them, I believe their father’s influence has the most profound effect on their lives.