Names in The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

            Throughout the novel, characters strive to create their own identities that separate from influence of friends and family. Names are noted to have power and meaning so much so that most characters respond to nicknames rather than their full names.

            Trujillo is described as being powerful in the almost supernatural nature. During his reign, he controlled everything and everyone and swiftly punished those who defied his demands. His power is so expansive that “to say his name aloud or even to hear it is to invite calamity on the heads of you and yours” (Díaz 1). The mention of his name was an invitation to be cursed. Trujillo was associated so strongly with fukú that he could not be talked about. Trujillo also has several nicknames as noted in the footnote on page 2; he was “also known as El Jefe, the Failed Cattle Thief, and Fuckface” (Díaz 2).  Nicknames often serve as way to sap power and to bring a person down in the story. These names are all derogatory and strip away Trujillo’s powerful veneer. By referring to him with nicknames, he appears to be weak and horrible rather than invincible and strong.

            Nicknames are also voluntarily chosen by characters as a way to escape familial influence. Names hold strong connections with ancestral past through the custom of naming an older or deceased family member or the sharing of last names. While discussing the name of her unborn child, Beli wants to call him Abelard “because he’s going to be a doctor like mi papá” (Diaz 137). The name chosen for the child reflects his future and their expectations for the child. Even before he is born, the name is expected to be a deciding factor on what he will become. Yunior may wish to escape this connection to his family when he asks Oscar to stop “calling [him] by [his] full name” (Diaz 189). Although Yunior may be trying to establish himself, he is still called Yunior or Junior which I assume is connected to his father. He will always share some things with his father like his name and physical characteristics even if he wished he did not. Many characters wish to escape their families or culture, but fail to fully remove themselves from its grasp.