The use of power in "Drown"

Perhaps the most striking element of Drown, by Junot Diaz is the utter violence of its characters. Nearly all of the characters participate in some form of violence against each other, though the trait is most pronounced in the male characters. The most violent character in all of the stories is Papi, Yunior's cheating and often abusive father. There are numerous instances in the novel in which Papi uses his brute strength to "discipline" his children and smack around his wife. For example, when Yunior got sick in the car on the way to his uncle's party, his father "jammed his finger into my cheek, a nice solid thrust". Yunior even goes so far as to describe his father's physical punishments as "imaginative" (Diaz 30). The barbaric physical punishments that Papi employs make him seem to the reader like a brute, a simple man who blunders through life using his physical strength to get his way. However, this image of Papi starts to break apart as the story goes on. Yunior states later in the book that his father was a "voracious reader" who "couldn't even go cheating without a paperback in his pocket" (Diaz 36). It is difficult to picture the truculent, macho man who was imagined earlier to be bright enough to care about a gentle pleasure such as reading. His obvious intelligence makes it clear that though Papi resorts most often to violence, he is capable of using other types of power.

The image of Papi as a stupid, machismo brute is fully shattered in "Negocios". In this section, the reader is shown Papi's entire process of immigration and assimilation into America. The fact that he was able to make his way to New York by riding the bus, and walking without getting into any trouble or deported shows that Papi has a quick, capable mind, though perhaps the most impressive aspect of his journey was the ride he took with the police officers. He is shrewd enough to omit his Spanish words and Puerto Rican accent around them, even being witty enough to manipulate the officers into focusing their attention on the crying prisoner when they start to question him about his life (Diaz 167-177).  The best example of Papi's manipulative powers comes in the attainment of Nilda, his second wife. He was able to convince this woman, an American citizen, to marry him through his persuasive skills, obtaining citizenship for himself and not telling Nilda about his family back home until she found out about them for herself. Originally, Nilda wanted nothing to do with Papi and "each time he kissed her she threw him out", yet through his manipulative dominance, he was able to eventually convince her to accept his advances and even marry him (Diaz 185). As can be seen, Papi is able to assert himself using his violent, physical power and also his manipulative powers, making him ultimately a cunning, somewhat dangerous man to be around.