Junot Diaz's Drown

In Drown, a collection of short stories, author Junot Diaz presents readers with an impoverished group of characters through harsh, but vivid language. Through the voice of Yunior, the narrator throughout the majority of the stories, Diaz places the blame for Yunior's negativity and rebellious nature on the disappointment caused by his father and the childhood illusion of America. Diaz, through language and symbolism, forces readers into an emotional bond with Yunior while exposing the illusory nature of the American dream. Although intertwined with each story, "Fiesta, 1980" allows for a more concise discussion of Diaz's purpose. <br><br>Diaz's language, even at first glance, appears very different from conventional authors:<br><br>Mami's
The character Mami represents the Dominican Republic, home, where Yunior feels safe. Papi, domineering and selfish, represents America and all of its false promises. The juxtaposed images represent the countries, opposites in Yunior's mind. Yunior feels his homeland slipping away while America takes over, his culture fading on American soil:<br>The fact that I <br>am writing to you<br>in English<br>already falsifies what I <br>wanted to tell you.<br>My subject:<br>how to explain to you that I <br>don't belong to English<br>though I belong no where else.<br>(Drown, 1)<br><br>This poem, shown on the first page of the collection, illustrates Diaz's ideas about America and its tendency to stifle one's culture. The powerful effect "Fiesta, 1980", and Drown as a whole, has on readers can be greatly attributed to Diaz's careful construction of each story, incorporating tough wording and elements of Spanish culture. <br><br>Secondly, symbolism presents another important aspect of Diaz's writing. The lime-green Volkswagen van helps to convey just how profoundly affected Yunior becomes by