Feminist Criticism in “Drown”
Drown by Junot Diaz is a piece of writing composed of multiple short stories. Furthermore, critics consider Diaz to be one of the most original, vibrant, and engrossing writers. Historically, the young writer became one of the most appreciated writers in the late 19th century. Perhaps, it is because he uses originality and uniqueness to express himself in his work. Diaz employs nostalgic recreation and vivid description when recreating elements of his childhood in Drown. The writer used writing as a means of escaping the hush realities of his neighborhood when growing up. As a Latino immigrant, the challenges he faced daily were immense and his unstable family made the situation complicated. Although Diaz is praised for his prolific writing skills in Drown, it is vital to consider the multiple aspects of feministic criticism present in his publication.
Drown is a collection that raised an uproar throughout the American writer’s scene in the 1960s. The publication is a reflection of the struggles faced by different immigrants of Latino origin. Correspondingly, it provides a reader with an overview of immigrants’ feelings of displacement in a new environment. The newfound environment is filled with elements of racial and cultural discrimination coupled with economic mistreatment (Paravisini-Gebert, 165). Equally important is the fact that the book is made up of short stories that address different social issues present in the 19th century. For instance, in the third chapter, “This Is How You Lose Her”, Diaz highlights some of the struggles faced by Yunior (Ambio, 305). Throughout the book, the story of Yunior is marginalized and narrated from a third-person point of view. Therefore, the struggles experienced by Yunior are a reflection of the obstacles experienced by every Latino in American society.
Drown is a book that faces multiple feminist critics from different levels. Diaz openly embraces various levels of masculinity while despising feminity. In Drown, there are two evident modes of masculinity; machismo-based masculinity and non-machismo based masculinity. Yunior moves with his family to the North-Eastern region of the US and realizes that his masculinity will be put to test on different occasions. When Yunior and Rafa (his brother) move to the Dominican Republic (DR), they actively engage in reckless activities and behavior which is often fueled with their masculinity. The two brothers have a different understanding of masculinity and behavioral attitudes. Rafa is a true depiction of the machismo based masculinity (Soto, 2). In one instance, Rafa seduces women, physically overpowers a young boy, and attempts to fraud the bus driver. All this time, Yunior seems to be more reserved while observing from the sideline. The character with some aspects of feminity ends up being molested on the bus. Therefore, the two characters depict the idea that masculinity should be embraced in society.
In his book, Diaz openly accepts the different levels of hyper-masculine culture among men and women in immigrant Latino families. In the second story, “This Is How You Lose Her”, Diaz introduces us to the idea that men are considered to be superior in society. Rafa a true depiction of machismo masculinity suffers from cancer and the disease takes a toll on him. Cancer makes Rafa lose his general strength and ability to dictate women. Thus, he loses every single aspect that describes his masculinity (Soto, 3). In the same fashion, Rafa respects the father and conforms to every ideology he presents to them. Perhaps, it is because of him, the father is a true illustration of what a family man should be. However, Yunior harbors some contradicting views and behavior (Fraser Legris, 23). Between the two brothers, he is the most feminine and stubborn. Thus, his character does not sit well with the father. The constant harassment of Yunior is an indication that any form of inferiority or rebellion is not welcomed in their family. After the father leaves, Rafa constantly bullies Yunior since he is very timid and malleable. Hence, some levels of hyper-masculinity are toxic.
Diaz embraces masculinity throughout the short stories. Although the current society advocates for equality among men and women; the various characters in the story are an indication that Diaz prefers masculinity. In the story “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, Yunior narrates to us a story about a struggling Dominican boy (Coleman, 20). Oscar the protagonist is struggling to identify his masculinity since he is living in a world full of masculine expectations of both American and Dominican origins. Correspondingly Oscar has some masculine elements and is a Casanova, but Yunior still finds him not masculine enough in Dominican society. Yunior’s idea that Oscar lacks enough masculine traits raises the question of Oscar’s true sexual orientation within a reader (Coleman, 20). One of the most outstanding questions is whether the pressure of being a masculine man in Dominican society is one of the contributors to Oscar’s low self-esteem? Perhaps, Diaz finds it more fulfilling for a man to be masculine regardless of his background.
Diaz refers to feminism as some form of symbolic border. The border ensured that the individuals who seemed less feminine faced some form of torture in certain social setups. For instance, Diaz acknowledges the fact that the feminine and gay students were often bullied at Oscar’s school (Gasztold, 9). Oscar as a young boy who did not grow up with a father has to face the same challenges while in school (Diaz, 19). Hence, there is some evident disapproval for young boys harboring feminine qualities. Furthermore, any boy who trespasses the symbolic border faces immense challenges in society. According to Diaz, Oscar may have already crossed the border. Oscar is an overweight body, who likes science fiction, lacks test in dance or music, and was not sporty (Diaz, 20). In Diaz’s view, Oscar is not male enough in Dominican society. Oscar is conflicted and distant from his true identity and masculinity traits since he grew up without a father.
On the other hand, Diaz suggests that the lack of a father figure contributes to feminist traits among his characters. In the lives of Rafa and Yunior their father, Rama, is rarely in the picture. He leaves them when they are young and expects them to join him once they are teenagers. Besides, after the two siblings join the father, he is only bothered by the fact that Yunior is not masculine enough. The father stays for a short period, then, later on, abandons them. Thus, Rama is left with the responsibility of taking care of the household. Although Rama, tries to uphold the Dominican values of a family, he ends up mistreating his brother Yunior who is not masculine enough (Fraser Legris, 23). Equally important, is the fact that the lack of a father figure leaves Oscar with some issues on the level of maleness traits he should possess. Perhaps, Diaz should also acknowledge the role of women in the lives of the young boys.
Moreover, Diaz uses a sexist approach when describing some of his characters. In the second story, Diaz uses words that are offensive to the female gender. Yunior is the narrator in the second story and his views regarding the female characters are limited. For instance, Yunior’s description of Miss Lora is demeaning. Miss Lora is an elderly lady who happens to be a high school teacher. Yunior describes her as a skinny lady, who has no hips, breasts, or ass, and her hair is also worse off (Falser, 1). The description is an indication of the superiority complex within the book. Yunior using different uncouth words when describing women throughout the story. He lacks a proper understanding of female psychology and their manner of reasoning. In his view, women often have ulterior motives. Diaz is portraying some elements of misogynistic behavior when describing the female characters.
In Drown, the behavior depicted by Yunior is an indication of a lack of respect for women. Yunior is an individual who has little or no respect for the female gender. First, how he describes Miss Lora is uncalled for and disrespectful. Yunior grows up with the same level of disrespect towards women. Secondly, he is a man who cheats countlessly (Marin, 60). Diaz narrates the various instances where Yunior fails to overcome his endless desire to cheat on his wife. Even after getting married to a Dominican woman, he still cheats on her countlessly. He has no apparent reason for cheating and is often faced with an inner struggle. A struggle to discover the reason why he is cheating. Diaz’s depiction of male superiority even when they are on the wrong is overwhelming. Perhaps, Yunior disrespects women since he lacks the sense of personal identity.
Yunior is a character that generates a lot of critiques since his love life seems complicated. In the story, Yunior is a young immigrant who ends up being a womanizer. Furthermore, his upbringing is one of the leading reasons behind his promiscuous behavior. Yunior is exposed to Rama’s and Rafa’s promiscuous behavior at an early age. When the girls start to notice him he goes down the same road as the father and brother (Ortuzar-Young, 806). He ends up creating a bad impression in the women that love him. In their eyes, all men of Dominican origin are cheaters and flirtatious. Correspondingly, the male superiority complex has made it challenging for them to respect women. The real idea of love has been tainted with the various machismo masculinity beliefs. Yunior is an individual with little respect for the female gender. Perhaps, his constant attempt to be masculine enough tainted his whole behavior and attitude towards women.
Machismo based masculinity is toxic for young boys. The machismo-based masculinity requires the male individual to replace their pain and insecurities with dominance. Yunior is the soft one, with naive and empathetic traits at a young age. However, his brother seems to be the strong one and is always trying to prove a point. Rama, their father, appreciates the fact that Rafa lives up to the machismo traits and follows his instruction to the latter (Hill, 10). In contrast, Yunior is the malleable son who constantly struggles to live up to the father’s expectations. He tries to mirror his brother’s dominance to fit into the family. Yunior’s attempts are often futile since in one instance he ends up being molested. Rafa fully embraces machismo masculinity an aspect that makes Yunior feel inferior. Machismo masculinity makes Raff to harbor aggressive traits coupled with antisocial behavior.
Diaz questions the reasons why a woman gets into a relationship. In his story, Diaz narrates various instances whereby a woman gets into a relationship with a man. Yunior introduces us to a young couple that stays in the neighborhood. The narrator acknowledges the fact that Loretta the neighbor has a new boyfriend. In this case, the boyfriend is Italian which means that he is of white origin. Since the boyfriend is white, the narrator considers Loretta to be a sellout (Frydman, 277). Consequently, at the time being white meant that an individual has a stable economic status and a reliable work ethic. In the same fashion, non-white individuals were considered inferior. Yunior has embraced the idea Loretta is dating the boyfriend because he is white and not because of love. In Yunior’s view, interracial dating should be encouraged when it offers some type of upward mobility either economically or socially.
In conclusion, Drown is a collection of short stories that raises multiple feminist criticisms. In the stories, the narrator faces different challenges from childhood to adulthood. Diaz, in the story, introduces to machismo masculinity. Machismo masculinity is a form of toxic masculinity that encourages boys to hide their insecurities behind dominance. The behavior should not be encouraged since it promotes the growth of insecure boys who are not gentlemen. For instance, the narrator struggled throughout his childhood to satisfy his dad to an extent he lost his sense of identity. In the same fashion, Oscar struggles to become more masculine since his feminine traits encouraged bullying. He was bullied in school and other social setups. The sad fact is he also separated from the love of his life since he cannot fight with the captain. He is not strong enough to defend himself. Rafa, on the other hand, uses masculinity to hide his fears and worries. Although masculinity is encouraged in the Dominican society, it strips the boys an opportunity to identify themselves on their level. In this case, Rafa, Yunior, and Oscar face different issues that are mainly caused by machismo masculinity.
Work Cited
Paravisini-Gebert, Lizabeth. “Junot Díaz’s Drown: Revisiting Those Mean Streets.” US Latino Literature: A Critical Guide for Students and Teachers (2000): 163-173.
Ambio, Marissa. “Reading Junot Díaz by Christopher González.” Hispania 100.2 (2017): 305-306.
Soto, Alejandro. Broken Men: The Failures of Machismo in Junot Díaz. Diss. The thesis of Master, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, 2016.
Fraser LeGris, Hannah. “Hybridity, Trauma, and Queer Identity: Reading Masculinity across the Texts of Junot Díaz.” Theses and Dissertations—English. Paper 9 (2014): 119-40.
Coleman, Vanessa. Julia Alvarez & Junot Diaz: the formation of boundaries in creating a new Dominican-American identity. Diss. Rutgers University-Camden Graduate School, 2016.
Gasztold, Brygida. “A Dominican-American Experience of Not Quite Successful Assimilation: Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” Crossroads in Literature and Culture. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2013. 209-220.
Daz, Junot. The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao. Penguin, 2008.
Fasler, Joe. “How Junot Díaz Wrote a Sexist Character, but Not a Sexist Book.” The Atlantic 11 (2012).
Marin, Luis Fernando. “The Stories of Junot Díaz: Genre and Narrative in Drown and This Is How You Lose Her.” (2016).
Hill, Ellen Elizabeth. “Deceptive Intimacy”: Narration and Machismo in the Works of Junot Díaz.” (2018).
Frydman, Jason. “Violence, Masculinity, and Upward Mobility in the Dominican Diaspora: Junot Díaz, the Media, and Drown.” Hispanic-American Writers (2009): 133-143.
Ortuzar-Young, Ada. “This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz.” Hispania 96.4 (2013): 806-807.