Society's Push Toward "Elsewhere"

           One of the most significant themes in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is escapism. Three of the novels major characters, Oscar, Lola, and Beli, are so determined to escape each circumstance they are put in. However, this “inextinguishable longing for elsewhere” results from society’s reminders of each character’s shortcomings (77). From the onset, Diaz presents Oscar: an overweight, antisocial, anti-masculine hero. He is lost in a world of science fiction and fantasy. From his obsession with magical worlds, Oscar can be seen as a character who is unhappy with his current state of being. His unhappiness is completely understandable due to his failure to live up to Dominican standards of masculinity. He is viewed as a source of pity rather than pride. Everyone is constantly trying to change Oscar by telling him to lose the glasses, lose the weight, and lose his haircut. Oscar would most likely be content in his surroundings if he were not constantly reminded of his shortcomings. When Oscar is living in the Dominican Republic, he is content spending his time writing. Writing is his passion. When his abuela nurses this passion and appreciates it, he feels “motherfucking good” (35). Because he lacks this support in his upbringing, Oscar longs to escape to a place where his talents and interests are celebrated rather than mocked. He is so eager to attend university and find a new place for him to begin. Unfortunately, once again, society tells him he is not masculine. He does not fit the correct mold. The white students reject him for various reasons, and his own people reject him because of his inability to fit their standards once again. Thus, Oscar is still left longing for elsewhere because of society’s perceived view of what he should and should not be.

            We see a similar situation with Lola and Beli. Lola never fit the mold of the “perfect Dominican daughter,” or as she calls it, “the perfect Dominican slave” (122-123). She was “fourteen and desperate for her own patch of world” (122). Lola’s longing, similar to Oscar’s, is a result of the surrounding characters’ views. Lola’s mother, Beli, is verbally abusive to her daughter. Lola acts out and Beli threatens to “kill her” on several occasions. Even when a young Lola is attacked, Beli does not show nurturing support like a parent should. Thus, Lola feels as if she is raising herself and her brother. Beli is always working and unconcerned with the emotional side of her relationship with her children. This stems from her longing for elsewhere as well. Beli’s life did not turn out as she had planned. She had the caring La Inca to nurture her, yet she still failed to live up to the supposedly regal lineage she came from. Beli longs to live the life she dreamed of with Jack Pujols. Because of this lack of a maternal figure or anyone to build her up, Lola longs for elsewhere. She frequently escapes but cannot find happiness in any situation. When she lives with Aldo, she frequently reminds herself that she’s “happy,” yet she truly is not. She still falls short of what her mother and others expect of her. However, if Beli would have shown emotional support like La Inca did with her as a child, Lola may not have felt so out of place. She may have found a home within her home instead of constantly looking for somewhere else. Thus, these characters’ inability to be content as themselves is the direct result of the shortcomings imposed on them from their peers.