Except for Oscar Wao

Dominican masculinity as seen in Drown and Oscar Wao portrayed by Junot Diaz is concentrated on the maintenance of power and the strive for self-satisfaction.  The many Dominican men in Diaz’s works constantly struggle to obtain this power and respect and in turn define others in comparison to themselves, “Everybody notices his lack of game and because they were Dominican everybody talked about it” (30).  In Oscar Wao, both Oscar’s friends and Oscar’s sister note Oscar’s inability to ‘get girls’ and conformity to the defined masculinity, “…you’re going to die a virgin unless you start changing” (31).  These pressures become a big part of Oscar’s life.  If one looks at another Diaz work Drown, even at a young age one of the main characters Rafa began objectifying girls and made it a point to ‘get with’ as many as he could.  The masculinity is a driving force of many of the male characters in Diaz’s works and becomes a norm that cannot be avoided by anyone; except Oscar Wao?

Oscar Wao attempts to defy Dominican masculinity.  That is not to say that Oscar does not feel the pressures, because he does from nearly everyone that interacts with him.  He falls for girls quickly and is often left depressed upon his inability to obtain them.  This depression turns suicidal later on in the book, “… when her brother lapsed into that killer depression at the end of sophomore year- drank two bottles of 151 because some girl dissed him” (202).  However, Oscar does not heed the direction of his relatives in losing weight, nor does he stop writing and fantasizing about his science fiction world.  He stays true to himself, something that many Dominican men represented in Diaz’s books tend to lose as they mature due to the societal pressures (something the narrator of Oscar Wao, Yunior, seems to admire).

Oscar Wao finds his escape from Dominican masculinity in his science fiction.  Oscar tries to relate his desires into his science fiction interests, stating that he wants to be the one to save whatever current girl he is admiring and then whisk her away to safety where he can get his thanks in private.  I believe Oscar uses this science fiction to hide himself from the masculinity forced upon him by his Dominican peers and introduce a new type of masculine pride; personal achievement.   Oscar finds pride in his writings as he tells his friends “It’s amazing” (39).  However, Oscar maintains full awareness that instead of living his youth as the rest of his peers he is isolating himself and the pressures of the societal norms maintain their presence in his life.

Through all of Oscar’s attempts to find happiness in his own way, Oscar is a victim of his surroundings.  Oscar’s depression deepens and he begins to act on it more and more.  His inability to conform properly leads him to short life and a sad lesson for the readers.  Is it truly possible to differ oneself for the better when everyone else (including the established societal norm of masculinity) is bringing you down?