A common scenario in Diaz's books is having an absent father, (I have already read the other two Diaz novels), and Yunior is no exception to this. Until the age of nine, Yunior essentially has no father in his life. Diaz really focuses on the effect these kind of fathers have on their children, specifically their sons. Since Yunior's father is off in America for the first part of Yunior's life, he really has no role model and no real father figure in his life. While one may argue that he does have his older brother, Rafa, he constantly puts down Yunior and doesn't want much to do with him. Yunior is pretty much left alone for the first part of his life which is likely one of the causes for the problems these boys face growing up. Not only does the father abandoning the family deny these boys a fatherly role model, but it also affects them financially. While most families in the novel are very poor, with or without a father, the single mothers seem to have the hardest times earning the money to buy simple necessities for her family. The story Aquantado shows how Yunior's mother could only afford one pencil for each of the boys and if they lost it they "had to stay home from school until Mami could borrow another one" (71). The lack of the steady income from a father certainly makes life more difficult for families. This may also be why many of the boys turn to drugs later in their lives. Some have to resort to selling drugs because their family does not have enough money to support themselves and it is an easy way for these boys to have some cash of their own. Others do drugs themselves to try to escape their hardships for awhile.
Another huge effect the fathers have over these boys is the way they treat women. When Yunior's father finally brings the family to the US, Yunior looks up to him even though he is a pretty lousy father. Despite the horrible way he treated Yunior at times, Yunior still states, "I still wanted him to love me, something that never seemed strange or contradictory until years later, when he was out of our lives" (27). Even though they were not treated well in the majority of these stories, the boys still looked up toward their fathers and learned from the examples they taught their sons. One common theme with most of the fathers Diaz portrays is them being unfaithful to their wives. Almost every father in Diaz's stories, (actually now that I think about maybe every single one), can not stay true to their women. No matter how hard they may try not to, they always seem to end with at least one women on the side. This certainly has a huge impact on how their sons will view women. Many of these boys learn from their fathers that women are really just good for sex. Also like when Yunior's father takes him to his mistress's house, they are teaching them that their sexual attractions to women can not be controlled and it is okay to cheat with other women, simply because the desire is too strong to resist. These harmful examples of women is a main reason why their sons will also have trouble staying faithful in their relationships and have a disrespect for women as well. This can be seen in the very first story when Rafa, who is only 12, sleeps with many girls while they are at the campo. Another example of the men's disregard for women is seen when Yunior's uncle tells him that "back in Santo Domingo, he'd be getting laid by now" (31). To most of these men, women are just sexual conquests and because of this mindset, they can not remain faithful to their wives. Their sons watch this and grow up to treat their girlfriends and wives the same way their father treated their mother.
While Diaz has much to say in his novel, Drown, a key point in many of the stories is the effect these fathers have on their sons. Diaz seems to be upset with the way many husbands are treating their wives and families. He tries to criticize the way this kind of lifestyle has become a norm in the Dominican and calls for change for the sake of their sons, the next generation.
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