Bridging the Gap Through Narration

When discussing The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz in class Monday, I was struck by the question comparing Yunior the character and Yunior the writer.  Having been exposed to Yunior through Drown and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, it is evident the influence that his upbringing has had on not only how he behaves but also how he perceives his behavior.  It is this disparity that I believe creates the gap between Yunior as a character and Yunior as a writer.

In the Dominican Republic culture, masculinity and power are complementary and vital to gaining the respect of one's peers.  When the narrator (Yunior) describes Oscar Wao in the beginning, he says, "[He] had none of Higher Powers of your typical Dominican male, couldn't have pulled a girl if his life depended on it.  Couldn't play sports for shit, or dominoes, was beyond uncoordinated, threw a ball like a girl.  Had no knack for music or business or dance, no hustle, no rap, no G.  And most damning of all: no looks" (Diaz 19-20).  Yunior's depiction of the "typical Dominican male" paints of picture of the idealistic character he portrays in himself throughout the novel.  However, I do not believe Yunior's portrayal of himself is accurate. 

Yunior as a writer unveils a much more dynamic character who does not simply succumb to all of the stereotypical characteristics of a Dominican male.  His frequent allusions to science fiction and fantasy reveal a passion for topics that do not necessarily fit in the box he has placed himself in - the box of a Dominican male.  In addition, I believe Yunior identifies himself to some extent with Oscar Wao.  Oscar Wao struggles to be normal in his peers' eyes because "Dude wore his nerdiness like a Jedi wore his light saber or a Lensman her lens.  Coudln't have passed for Normal if he'd wanted to" (Diaz 21).  Simply because Oscar's passions do not align with those of his peers, he is not seen as Normal (with a capital "N" to signify normal is not just a state of being but is much more than that).  Yunior the writer's similar nerdy interests diverge from Normal, and I believe he channels this into Oscar's character.

In short, I believe that Yunior's struggle to overcome his passions that contradict the stereotypes he is so strongly forced into are revealed through Oscar Wao and his digressions as the narrator.  Yunior's disparity between what the ideal Dominican is and the reality of his personality create the gap that exists between Yunior the writer and Yunior the character.  Throughout the novel, Yunior the writer strives to paint himself as a macho man who has all of the answers (Yunior the character) but it is impossible for him to hide his true self which becomes exposed through his digressions into science fiction and fantasy and through Oscar Wao's character.