Oscar p.167-261

In these next few chapters we hear the voices of Yunior, Lola, Oscar and the stories of Abelard, his wife Socorro and his two daughters Jackie and Astrid. The ordering of these personal anecdotes/tales seems to be strategic, in that the story is told, in a way, through a family friend then to family members all the way down to the actual story of the famed and frequently mentioned Cabrals.

Yunior's point of view provided a fresh look into the world of Oscar, which as we all know is one of self-deprecation, self-pity and self-loathing. This look into to Oscars like allowed the readers to extract themselves from the cesspool that is Oscar's psyche long enough to see the presumed "fuku" at work on the exterior. Oscar's suicide attempt, I felt, was inevitable. He is tragically inclined to be hopeless, Lola was gone and it was only a matter of time. But beyond getting to know Oscar's story a bit better we got to know Yunior a bit too. There were hints of his having a difficult past and so on, which opened up that character a bit.

Lola's perspective, as usual, provided a more mature, even maternal vibe.It was interesting getting to see how she went about pursuing this destiny that she so longed for. In a particular moment of wisdom Lola realizes, unlike Oscar, that running away is not the answer: "But if these years have taught me anything it is this: you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in." (TBWLOW, pg.209) Lola's realizations that her mother "could not have been any different" (TBWLOW, pg.208) seemed to be a neutralizer to the supernatural theories that preoccupied the "old-school" Dominicans like her mother, in that she was accepting her mother's nature rather than blaming her ill fortune (which stemmed from her supposedly cursed mother) on the fuku. I think that in accepting her mother for who she was Lola, at least on her own part, lifted her own burden somewhat and did what the others did not by looking within to become her own zafa.

The story of the Cabrals (Abelard and his family) was a compelling one. The series of events that followed his arrest seem to be undoubtedly point to some supernatural intervention. But one must ask when reading about this family, is it not more unusual that they lived in such good fortune for as long as they did under the rule of Trujillo than the fact that they at some point met their doom? I think it is. However unfortunate, the Cabral family suffered an ill fate like the narrator has described of so many other people. After all, there is nothing supernatural about bad fortune in a country whose dictatorial leader has an impossible grip on it's every aspect.
What I did find interesting was that however great Abelard's mind was, his will to rise against the establishment was non-existent. That, to me, makes a powerful statement about the anemia of the DR, where a man with every gift, natural and material, in his possession has no inclination to light the flame of a hope of revolution.

It seems the Trujillo;s effect on the DR is everlasting; at least in the way that Diaz portrays it. "For Trujillo is not a man. He is...a cosmic force..." (TBWLOW, pg.204) Which brings it all back to the supernatural. The fuku. He had a grip on the DR so extraordinary that people sought explanation outside of their known world. What that must do to a culture, and to a people is mind blowing. I believe that is what Diaz is trying to communicate to the reader.

Oscar 1

A sadly disproportionate amount of the population only have one developed point of view, that being the American one (and plenty people here don’t even have that). We listen to American politicians, and American entertainers and we read American literature, and little do so many of us realize that while gaining knowledge and perspective we are also running the risk of losing a broader, all-encompassing perspective, which stems from learning about other cultures and the products of their imagination and creation. Cultural bias can’t be helped in most cases, but one can possibly move to change their own ideas or at the very least seek to have them challenged, in order to become more cultured and learned. That, at least, is my personal goal. I believe that all people have a unique perspective, but on a smaller scale than I discussed previously, it is important for individuals to hear the thoughts of others for the same reason I believe people should be aware of other cultures; for the sake of growth, and blogging is a great tool for social interaction on a large scale.

If unfamiliar with Dominican culture, which most non-Dominicans probably are, the footnotes serve to give some history about the Dominican Republic, their culture and their prevailing mythical preoccupations.

Personally, I can say without the footnotes I would have been slightly lost in this story, even only after a few pages. They allow the reader to play catch up and understand the underpinnings of the story at large without having to stop reading the book and look things up. The footnotes in this particular book retain the same voice and character of the narration, which is a bit uncommon. This technique allows for the reader to stay immersed in the story and allows for the narrator to explain the history in a brief and fluid manner. Though there weren’t many, the footnotes supplied a surprisingly large amount of information that was both educational and characteristic. Of course some tell the story of Trujillo, former Dictator-for-Life, and they also give insight into some of the more obscure comic book and middle earth references, which established the character and the viewpoint early on without having to explain that this person is a nerd. So this narration and these footnotes make it possible for the reader to pick up on the history and myths as well as the person they will be reading about and the overall tone of the book.

He story that the footnotes establish let the reader know that the fuku is a major theme in this book, which ties in with Dominican history. It seems possible that maybe the footnotes are a part of a counter spell to fuku. Maybe they are a counter spell because they establish a clear history of events as they were, and maybe they were presented in such a way that their accuracy acts a preventative measure against the fuku. Otherwise I’d like to read more and figure things out a bit more when I have a stronger grasp on what the fuku really IS.

Introduction

Hello,

     My name is Taylor Holmes, new freshman at the University of Redlands and I plan to major in English Literature and Language here. Let’s see, a few things about me that might be useful to know? I am black, I’m a vegetarian, and I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania but moved to San Diego when I was 7. Also, I’m a liberal. I love books, reading and writing all together so my reasons for taking Comparative Ethnic American Studies 161-01 may seem very clear, along with the fact that I am an English major.