Blog Post 4

In Drown, written by Junot Diaz, Yunior is a walking depiction of the effect masculinity has on Dominican men. In “How to Date a Browngirl”, Yunior reveals his true feelings toward women, describing them in the same way a mechanic might describe a model of a car. He states that “a halfie will tell you that her parents met in the movement, will say, Back then people thought it a radical thing to do” (146). In his guide for dating women he predicts that every woman he considers a “halfie” will tell the same stories and have the same emotions. Yunior in Drown does not see women as individuals; he sees them as an objective to be conquered for his personal gain.

Yunior in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao begins the same way. He constantly elaborates on the respect he has for women, explaining that he has “pussy coming out of his ears” (185). By referring to women as “pussy” he confirms his opinion of women as sex objects created for his personal use. Masculinity also plays a huge role in Oscar’s development. As early as age seven Oscar was being scolded by his bus driver to stop crying, an extension of the idea that crying makes men weak. Oscar was never athletic and after his brief relationship at 7, never was successful with women, another example of his lack of traditional masculinity. Throughout the entire novel Oscar struggles with two sides of himself. He wants to remain true to his passions, his writing and science fiction. However, he also wants to fulfill his role in Dominican culture as a masculine man and a conqueror of women, whom he falls in love with on a daily basis.

It is Oscar’s constant battle within himself that prevents him from being happy. Only at the end of the novel, when he accepts his love for Ybon and his passion for science fiction that he gains his happiness and respect for himself. He defined his own version of masculinity. In doing this, he inspired Yunior to reconsider his version of himself, and why he makes the choices that he makes. Yunior settles down and is married, although he never can completely shake his views of women and masculinity, has learned about the pitfalls of Dominican culture.