Drown, by Junot Diaz, is a book I never would have selected for myself. For one, it’s a collection of short stories. I do not care for reading short stories; typically they are not developed enough for my liking. I prefer when a story comes to some sort of a resolution at the end. Genre and style aside, the content of these stories was disturbing to me. I read through the selected stories quickly so that I could put this book behind me. I had no desire to read the four remaining stories for I did not want to dwell in those depraved lives any further. This is not a book I would recommend to anyone, most certainly not students.
Maybe I just don’t get the point Diaz was trying to make when he wrote these stories. His absolutely negative view of the immigrant experience I find to be disheartening. Story after story, Diaz presents characters who act in illegal, immoral and socially reprehensible ways. These behaviors are not justifiable because people may be immigrants or poor. They are certainly not something to be glorified. People have been pulling themselves out of poverty for all time. Has Diaz given up on a sense of personal responsibility?
I am not naïve to think that situations presented in these stories are strictly fiction. However, the way Diaz presents his characters does little to endear me to them. The only character I truly felt for was the boy in No Face. That child was dealing with physical and the resulting emotional pains from the attack from the wild pig. It was a searing depiction of the occasional cruelty of society. For the most part, the other characters have choices to make in their lives. The fact that they choose to do drugs, have illicit sexual encounters, act in violent ways, use foul language, act in crude, disrespectful ways are entirely their choice. Poverty is not an excuse for these behaviors.
I’m left wondering how the Dominican community feels about his representation of their immigrant experience. Is this how they wish to be depicted?
Maybe I just don’t get the point Diaz was trying to make when he wrote these stories. His absolutely negative view of the immigrant experience I find to be disheartening. Story after story, Diaz presents characters who act in illegal, immoral and socially reprehensible ways. These behaviors are not justifiable because people may be immigrants or poor. They are certainly not something to be glorified. People have been pulling themselves out of poverty for all time. Has Diaz given up on a sense of personal responsibility?
I am not naïve to think that situations presented in these stories are strictly fiction. However, the way Diaz presents his characters does little to endear me to them. The only character I truly felt for was the boy in No Face. That child was dealing with physical and the resulting emotional pains from the attack from the wild pig. It was a searing depiction of the occasional cruelty of society. For the most part, the other characters have choices to make in their lives. The fact that they choose to do drugs, have illicit sexual encounters, act in violent ways, use foul language, act in crude, disrespectful ways are entirely their choice. Poverty is not an excuse for these behaviors.
I’m left wondering how the Dominican community feels about his representation of their immigrant experience. Is this how they wish to be depicted?
Poverty isnt an excuse all the time but sometimes it is a reason. Poverty often determines education which is a ladder to success and opportunity. To some degree everyone has opportunity but who is to say that all opportunities are good? I will admit Yunior was hopeless and kind of lazy but aren't these stereotypes inflicted on those who dwell in poverty? He became a product of his environment. Many people escape poverty but often to resort to the working class so now they struggle...It takes a lot of help to push people especially if this is ALL they know. Maybe he could of left but what happens to he mother? It seems obvious his brother and he don't speak. His father wasn't a decent role model...so who is going to model the decent behavior. Although the book is dark is provides light to the truth for people who wish to act as if this doesnt exist. It wasnt for people to embrace the characters but to just get the picture.
ReplyDeleteI am going to piggyback on Tyeisha's statement above. All of the characters in these short stories were out there on their own. It is difficult to ask a young person to show some compassion, some decency, some ambition when he/she does not see any of that in the adults who surround him/her. And in Junior's case there was no father and hardly a mother who "surrounded" him. In addition, one has to remember the culture and the country from which they came. They were living in a society where their is very little value put on a human life, where poverty is the norm and daily existence is the goal........education is non-existent and morals and values are not a high priority.....yes there are countries in which these conditions exist. One learns to lie, steal, live for the moment etc. etc. The transfer to the United States, in these cases, did not change much of this........except they ate three meals a day and had better clothes and a roof over their heads. There was still no direction, no mature adults. I agree with Tyeisha, Diaz did not want you to like any of these characters. Rather he wanted you to experience their lives. Now...........how can the schools that these students attend intervene and become the role models that these young people so desperately need? That was the reason for the assignment. 3-15-10 Dr. Ries
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