“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” a novel written by the Dominican American novelist Junot Díaz emphasis on the traditional toxic masculinity known as the macho culture in Latin America. Through the novel, it becomes evident that the masculinity traits and behaviors inflicted on Oscar Wao are examples of machismo expected from men in the Dominican Republic. Although the novel takes place in New Jersey; Oscar`s Dominican culture is always present in his character throughout the text. From beginning to end the novel speaks of the harmful; destructive cultural expectations inflicted upon males. This allows the reader to fully comprehend how the Dominican macho culture extremely affects the actions of Oscar Wao. The reader explores what motifs lead Oscar to live in a depressed state for most of his life.
In the beginning of the novel we meet an extremely extroverted seven year old Oscar Wao. He was blessed in those “days of his youth, Oscar was something of a casanova.” He loved being the center of attention and when it came to parties he was always the first to the dance floor. In this particular stage of his age, Oscar was a young ladies boy who genuinely loved the girls and took every opportunity he had to approach them, because “in those days he was (still) a “normal” Dominican boy.”
In high school, the place where most teens rebel and cause problems; Oscar was the opposite of the norm. He was not much a ladies man anymore and did not want any attention placed on him. Not only did the charismatic seven-year-old casanova disappear, but his appearance changed making it much more difficult to make new friends or even think about dating. Oscar felt like a freak and was lonely most of the time. He didn’t know who he was and all he knew was that “He walked into school every day like the fat lonely nerdy kid he was, and all he could think about was the day…he would at last be set free from his unending horror” (Díaz 19).
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This just shows the amount of emptiness and loneliness he felt just within his soul. His whole life had changed; he no longer was the “muchacho bueno” everyone talked about. His “Dominican traits” had vanished; he no longer chased young beautiful girls and he no longer had the extroverted social life he once had. He simply became a no one and he never quite felt like he belonged anywhere; he knew it and felt it every single day walking into high school.
His sophomore year of high school, Oscar began to lose touch with himself. He never put much attention to his emotions and he began to gain weight, weighing almost 300 pounds. His excessive weight gain made it evident that he was going through a tough depression. Oscar was no longer comfortable with his appearance and avoided certain events such as parties. His mother Beli, sister Lola, his family, and friends began to see the un-Dominican characteristics Oscar was developing and of course did not approve because they are not male like Dominican traits.
This only made it much more difficult for Oscar to open up to his family about the issues he’s had been having. According to the National Institute of Mental Health “Some symptoms of depression include:Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, decreased energy, fatigue, and appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain.”
All through high school Oscar did not have friends and was always excluded of certain activities and events. He completely began to lose interest and all he wanted was to stay home read some fantasy books and watch tv. He gave up on himself and love entirely. Oscar, “cried often for his love of some girl or another. Cried in the bathroom, where nobody could hear him” (23-24). Oscar`s only way to vent his pain was by crying. He had no one to talk to, no friends or family members who would understand him and he simply was afraid to open up to them given that he came from tough Dominican Republic. It became relatively easy for him to hide his pain and repress his emotions because that was all he knew. Growing up no one taught him about opening up and pouring his feelings out to the world, he was simply conditioned to keep himself because no one his family every truly spoke about their feelings.
In his family everyone was so quick to point out his physical problems, but they never thought about his emotional state. His mother and Lola thought Oscar was simply lazy and that he was allergic to trying. Lola, was in part Oscars biggest supporter, but for the wrong reasons. She pushed him to get in shape and go out and live. She had the nerve to tell Oscar that unless he changed he was “going to die a virgin” (25). Oscar can’t seem to catch a break either from his friends nor his own family. They all just see Oscar a total loss and failure for not being attractive enough for a Dominican man. They continue to shame him for no trying hard enough to change his lifestyle and although they might be right, there is a part in Oscars mental stage that makes him feel as if he were unworthy to accomplish anything or succeed.
After high school, Oscar attends Rutgers University, where he dorms with Yunior, who is more of a Dominican male like than he is. He falls in love with La Jablesse. He was so desperate for love that it didn’t matter who the person was, he needed to feel and be loved something he had never experienced. He had the urge to feel like he matter, he belonged to someone, the urge to belong to something. He ends up alone and with out La Jablesse; he beings to once again fall into his dark depressed state. He begins to drink his pain away a little at a time and hides his feelings not only to his family, but to himself. He drinks often and often too much to the edge of trying to commit suicide. He felt hopeless and felt he had nothing to live for. He was ultimately done with life, no one loved him, he wasn’t accepted for who he was or who he looked like, and he he was isolated from everyone and everything he loved.
He didn’t see a future to the horrific life he had been living. In an article written by Reiss & Dombeck, “Defining Suicide” they mention that, “In addition to suicidal ideation, there are other warning signals that suggest suicide risk as well as the possible presence of a mental or physical illness. Of particular concern are signs and symptoms that represent changes from a person’s conventional or normal behavior, appearance, and functioning.” Oscar presented multiple red warning signs leading to his attempt to commit suicide. He gained weight and afterwards lost weight, he lost social interest, and allowed himself to let let go and lose touch with himself not caring about anything.
The amount of oppression Oscar had, oppressing his emotions and eating his pain away ultimately lead him to attempt to take his own life away. In part Oscar’s family were also to blame because they never built a safe environment for Oscar to open up about his problems leading him to face them alone. He had to learn to deal with his own pain becomes everyone in his family only knew how to blame people and circumstances without fully admitting that there was a problem to begin with. Oscar was never given the opportunity to express himself as a child and now as an adult it quite difficult knowing how his Dominican heritage and family will judge and exclude him.
Fast forward a couple years later, Oscar now a graduate and teaching in his own town, he is again faced with the same shame and embarrassment he experienced as a child. The student she taught, “laughed as much as his embarrassment as at the image they had of him crushing down on some hapless girl” (264). Just when Oscar thought that his past he can’t seem to escape the childhood Dominican expectations in his life. He is forced to live a life of self pity and shame because just could not understand how to a man. He did not understand why no women would want to be with him, he just wanted to someone to love him as much as he would love them. It seemed that the more he tried to find love the deeper into depression he fell. He had a difficult time dealing with his emotions and whenever things didn’t go as planned he would throw the towel and would let his emotions take over him.
There was a time in his life where his depression was beginning to change his lifestyle. Díaz write that on some morning oscar, would wake up and not be able to get out of bed. Like he had a ten-ton weight on his chest. Like he was under acceleration forced.” The painted picture Díaz describes Oscar to be living is horrific, his depression is so severe that the amount of mixed emotions and pain he carries on his shoulders has finally catched up to him. Through Oscar we read the different episodes of depression. Oscars depression often enters his life and simply moves on, but on other circumstances it last a long period of time in his life maik g it difficult to continue with his living.
Although Oscar has had multiple turning points in his life, his life completely changed when he meet Ybón. He finally decides to live his past behind him and take the risk with Ybón. With Ybón Oscar`s life is different, he finally feels comfortable talking to someone about his problems. Although Oscar knew Ybón was dating someone else, he felt a sense of security around her. After Ybón`s boyfriends finds out about the friendship between them two, he tries to kill Oscar.
Many would think Oscar would run and never see Ybón ever again, but no that gives him an even more satisfaction. Oscar believes that because Ybón`s boyfriend went after him, that there might be something serious among the both of them. This only demonstrated the lack of self esteem from Oscar. All those years of pain and depression have brought him to the lost point in his life, enjoy being beat up to death simply to understand that their might be something serious between Ybón and him.
When the time came and Oscar finally kissed Ybón, he was relieved and filled with happiness.He told Yunior, “I kissed a girl, Yunior. I finally kissed a girl.” He shared it with such passion, it was almost as if he were telling Yunior that he was finally one of the men. He had finally gotten to kiss a women not on the check, but in the lips. According to Bourdieu “Manliness, it can be seen, is an eminently relational notion, constructed in front of and for other men and against femininity, is a kind of fear of the female, firstly in oneself.” Oscar had never been able to prove to anyone else that he too was a “real man” and well his kiss with Ybón made him part of the manhood, in particular the “Dominican manhood.” It now that we see Oscar blossom, he is more aware of his emotions and addressed them allowing him to become more open with himself and with others.
In the end Oscar decides to return with Ybón, he did not care that El Capitán almost beat him to death. Here is when Oscar shows his Dominican macho culture. He is proving to his family and friends that he is no wussy and that he a courageous Dominican man fighting for the love of his life. He finally proves that he could no longer be excluded from the manhood group because he did not die a virgin. According to Macdonald & Woods, ‘Too often, society sees ‘masculinity’ as the reasons why men abuse their bodies and minds, abuse their partners, refuse to seek help from friendly health services, and die young.’ Although Oscar was beaten badly by el Capitán he was not a coward to chase after the Ybón, the women he fell in love with. To oscar being in love was everything, he did not care of the risks as long as he was by her side and demonstrate hoe masculine of a Dominican male he was in the act.
At last Oscar was a man and he died in such a manly manner, although, the Dominican masculinity or macho expectations lead to his death. Through the text it becomes quite clear he was desperately trying to fit into the masculine stereotype for himself. He tried so hard to become a “true” Dominican man and he tried to believe it, but was unsuccessfully in developing such element in his life. Oscar felt the emptiness and was in a way lured by the darkness. He had experienced a severe period of depression throughout his entire life it was overwhelming.
In the end of the novel, Oscar truly lived his last days. To Oscar those days were days of triumph because he was loved, felt loved, and felt masculine enough to a Dominican. Although his last breath was a horrific he does not die being a failure because he dies being true Dominican macho. All Oscar wanted was to die being the masculine Dominican man he always wanted to be known for, but he was also dying for the love of his life. He gave his entire being to be remembered as a true Dominican masculine man.
