Preview

Oscar Wao discussion

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2233 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Oscar Wao discussion
I. Discuss an element of Fiction
I decided to tackle three elements of fiction from the story because I personally can’t choose just one from the many remarkable elements here.
First, let me talk about the symbolisms. The author obviously used a lot of symbols in this story! I feel like even the settings and characters are actually symbols. However, I only fancy to talk about three: the man with no face, the mongoose, and the blank page.
The man with no face, I think, is all the oppressed citizens during the Trujillato era. The fact that they’re faceless only shows us that they will remain nameless, and that their stories will never be told. It’s kind of a sad and scary symbolism especially when it got to the part that Oscar thinks that the faceless man he saw was joining his beating down. Maybe that’s a representation of how other citizens started to concede to Trujillato’s rule and hurt others just to protect themselves.
Next, personally, I think the mongoose represents the anti-fukú of the de Leons because it always shows up in times of need. But then I thought, hey that’s not a symbol! And so, I started to think it actually represents them, the de Leons. Somehow. I just don’t know how. Well, we know that like the de Leons, mongooses are foreign and not native. That’s one similarity already and I’m pretty sure there are a lot more! So yes I will firmly stand on my belief that the mongoose represents Oscar’s family.
The most interesting symbolism that I encountered, though, is the blank page. The first time I saw it, I felt confused because I just can’t understand what it’s supposed to mean. I dismissed the thought but then it appeared again so I decided to really think about it and I ended up with just one explanation: it was a blank page because it is up to the readers how they would think of it. And I think that’s pure genius!
Next up: the themes. I picked up many themes but I chose to focus on the following: politics, supernatural beings, feminism,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Blue Against White

    • 605 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A lot of symbols, contrasts and meanings make up this story. In the beginning the door…

    • 605 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The first realization of the use of symbolism is hinged on the name of the main character. Myop is the main character of the story. Myop happens to be the shortened version of the name Myopia, which translates to mean the absence of insight (Barry, 23). Given that the main character is, somewhat, ignorant of the…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Violence has been present in the Dominican Republic for many years, now. It has become a power that can either be used by people in order to protect themselves or for other illegal reasons such as committing a murder. In Junot Díaz’s novel, The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, the theme of violence is portrayed throughout the story as they are under the rule of a dictator in every generation and physical and emotional abuse are present, as well. Those living in the Dominican Republic strongly believe in the “fukú” curse that they believe is part of what causes this strong violence in their lives. You can see that violence is present through the relationships between Beli and the Gangster, Beli and Lola and Oscar and Ybón.…

    • 1744 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brief Life of Oscar Wao

    • 1727 Words
    • 50 Pages

    I have always wondered how stories from the past have been kept alive so that people today can hear about them. I know Moses was not walking around Egypt with his laptop typing his experiences so that we could learn about them today. Although this example is thousands of years old, I have the same curiosity about events that have happened more recently. For example, during the Second World War, the Germans were highly organized and made to sure not to keep a paper trail so the world would not know what was happening. However, while I was in Poland I heard the stories and experience from the survivors themselves and it enhanced my connection and made their history more of a reality. In the book, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” by Junot Diaz, the narrator of the story, Yunior, attempts to give the reader the same sense of living history through first hand accounts, personal stories and memories he gained from Oscar. Although these stories have been passed on through families it does not always mean the stories being told are fully accurate. There are still some empty spaces in these stories that cannot be filled because of the discrepancies that have occurred through the passing of the stories from generation to generation. For example, we see in one instance that the story of Abelard can end in different ways but we still receive knowledge about the Trujillo dictatorship. Towards the end of the novel Yunior is not fully sure what Oscar’s intentions were with his writings, which is why the page is kept blank. This adds to the idea that even though stories are being passed on through families, there will always be tiny holes. However, even though it’s similar to an interpration of the story and not fully accurate, the personal stories and memories provided by Yunior allow the reader to have a clearer understanding of what happened during that historical time. The idea of learning and examining the past in a time when no records…

    • 1727 Words
    • 50 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Significance: As readers, we come to see how many stories come about: from the writers own experiences.…

    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    convince her to stay in the cane and succumb to her wounds. It is attempting to tamp down the forces resisting it’s rule. The image of the stench “clogg[ing] her throat” depicts it as trying to suffocate her and choke the life out of her. This desperation on the cane’s behalf emphasizes the importance of Beli’s survival. Richardson specifically discusses the importance of Beli’s violation and survival, stating that it “leaves the possibility open for her to produce a line of children in the future that will challenge the fuku and rewrite normative history” (Richardson 32). Despite the tragic circumstances, the death of her child allows for the death of her ties to Trujillo and the hold of its principles on her. In connection to previous points…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    "Symbolism." Bedford Introduction to Literature. Fourth Edition ed. Meyer, Michael. Boston, MA: BEDFORD BOOKS of St. Martin 's Press, 1996. 188.…

    • 1250 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    By including symbols, Knowles shows us that he is writing much more than a classic example of a novel. Knowles includes many under themes and different tones throughout. Knowles conveys values, and suggests evil will always overpower our values. Knowles left impressions and symbols about good and evil, even going as far as making a biblical reference. All of these hints tell us that this is in fact, not your typical explanatory, analytical…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Oscar Wao Essay

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Firstly it is best to describe Oscar’s appearance to get a better idea of the character. Oscar never was a small man, and over the years of his life he tried a few times to fix it, but never could stay with it. In college his roommate Yunior tried to help him with working out but Oscar couldn’t stick to it (176-178). He did get in slightly better shape after his suicide attempt right before he graduated from college. All in all though he was always just a large nerdy guy. Right away it can be seen Oscar feels this body image he has is part of his curse adding to…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oscar is described as being very heavy, having terrible acne and wearing big glasses and his hair in an afro. Compared to other Dominican guys, who were suave and well-coiffed, Oscar was very unattractive. Yunior tries to help out Oscar, offering to help him exercise. Oscar attempts to work out with Yunior by going running with him, but Oscsar is subject to many verbal attacks while jogging. These hurtful remarks, along with Oscar’s lack of physical fitness, cause Oscar to stop running, and thus, his appearance stays the same.…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In this story, there are multiple different symbols - all of which hold the ability to lead the readers into deep thoughts and realizations. There are small moments that turn into symbols when looked at correctly, there are character point of views that symbolize different things, and, finally, there is the symbolism of Zach and Cammie’s relationship (previously mentioned in “The Shifty Sort”). Let’s take a closer look, starting with small moments.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Also know that symbolism are not just about animals in this novel, the settings are a huge factor in symbolism too. Like the pool by the river is the place where this story began and where it…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the book, Lord of the Flies, the author frequently uses symbolism. Symbolism-n 1: the art or practice of using symbols esp. by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations. In other words, discussing or explaining a broader, more general topic by linking it symbolically with a specific event in a literary work. The superb use of symbolism in the book is one of the contributing factors to the profoundness of Lord of the Flies. This book is peppered with examples of symbolism, but the ones that stand out the most are: The breaking of Piggy's spectacles, the representation of the littluns and Jack as the "people" and the government, and Simon's conversation…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism means for me objects or facts in the story “A Rose for Emily” characters are in this story. Emily was always trying to fine a happy life, and her father was trying to like scare ever guy that come to the house. Symbolisms are meanest in the story as mean objects are giving like the house, rose, Emily hair, and gray hair. A symbolism for me is like family staying together as one chine, as my dear mother told me “family matters more than anything in the world, family going to be here no matter what happened.” She was right I been learning from the best as it was always true.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The second symbolism is blood. The blood represents murder and guilt like the blood on the dagger and the blood on Lady Macbeth's hand. The weather ...…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays