Tag Archives: Diaz

11/19/21

Assimilating new perspectives

Rejection of one’s culture is not unusual for families who immigrate to new countries, especially to the United States. It’s a consistent theme with people who are raised or spend their developing years in the US, where many times their perceptions of their own people start to change based on their new perception of what is “cool” and “trendy”.

This is seen in Diaz’s “Fiesta, 1980” where Yunior describes his mom’s “cheap ass jewelry which on her didn’t look too lousy” (24). Later on, his Tia’s furniture is named a “Contemporary Dominican Tacky” (32). The teenager’s narrative voice expresses his feelings without any censorship. He is sarcastic and includes curse words which indicate a casual voice very common for most kids growing up in the United States, where the use of slang is sprinkled throughout his narration. There is also a sense of superiority on his part, where his opinions about these two women being stuck with old styles that are unfit for the new culture seem to be very prevalent in his mind.

This rejection of cultural tastes creates a separation between the assimilated youth and older members of the family. Whether it is because of monetary confinement or simply a different taste, these women’s taste is probably scrutinized not only by their own family member, but by society as well. Yunior’s perspective was probably adopted in New York when he saw what others wore and heard people’s comments about them too. . The mother’s demonstrated rejection throughout the story also demonstrates how difficult it is for her to change her opinion about her new home.

11/19/21

Coping with Abuse

In “Fiesta, 1980”, Junot Díaz highlights the same dynamics we saw in the previous unit⁠: the power that a man holds in a patriarchal society and the violence that can stem from his effort to maintain this power⁠—and by extension, prove his masculinity. Though Ramón’s abuse is not directly present within the story, the characters’ range of reactions (not only to his anger, but also their hesitancy to disturb his happiness) conveys the severity of its effect on their family as a whole.

Yunior seems to bear the brunt of the abuse—as he puts it, “It was like [his] God-given duty to piss [his father] off” (26)—yet he craves Ramón’s affection and does not confront him about the abuse or the affair. Yunior also often comes into conflict with Rafa, who has begun to mimic some of their father’s violent behaviour but still avoids his wrath. Even their sister, no more than a few years old, has learned to fear her father’s anger⁠: “Madai was too scared to open her eyes… Anytime Papi raised his voice her lip would start trembling” (26)⁠. Interestingly, though, she seems to be the only character whose relationship with Ramón is somewhat positive, as we see when they search for coins in the car. Finally, the mother is the most worn down by the abuse: she tries to protect her children, attempting to de-escalate the situation when Ramón begins to yell and consoling them afterwards, but there is only so much she can do without challenging him directly.

Though each person has their own way of coping with Ramón’s abuse, they surrender to it in order to preserve their family⁠; however broken it may be, they are very few people they can rely on in this new environment, away from the home they are used to.

11/19/21

In Sickness and in Health

Junot Díaz’s “Fiesta, 1989,” depicts the physical manifestations of the family’s relationship to the father. Not only does the father literally starve his son before they depart anywhere in the van, he also metaphorically starves his family of love and affection. Starving is symbolic of the father’s distance from his family in addition to his abuse and extramarital affair. The irony is that he’s traditionally patriarchal and demands respect, but in turn cheats on his wife and sets a bad example for his children, which may end up contributing to generational trauma. Consequently, Yunior’s disapproval of his father’s actions are manifested into him vomiting whenever he gets into the van. The father’s van was “bought to impress” most likely his mistress (p. 27). Because the father is almost more attached to his vehicle than any of his relationships, Yunior’s vomiting is a symbol of his longing for a good father and a healthy family dynamic. Due to the power imbalance, Yunior or his brother are unable to explicitly make known their disapproval out of fear of retaliation from their father. Alternatively, Yunior may have kept quiet because he didn’t want to see his parents split up, even if it is for the best, which is often what children don’t understand. Regardless of his reasoning for keeping quiet, we know that as a child he cannot speak up, so the only way Yunior is actually able to express himself if through vomiting, particularly in his father’s precious car.

11/18/21

The significance of Volkswagen

What is the significance of Papi’s Volkswagen in “Fiesta 1980”? Why does the main character, Yunior, always puke when riding it? Yunior’s dad believes that the vomiting has to do with poorly timed meals. The vomiting seems more likely to be a result of both Yunior’s anxieties and the new North-American lifestyle. The Volkswagen itself may be symbolistic of the change from the Dominican Republic to America. It is brand new, and representative of the lavish and over-the-top lifestyle of the United States of America. The change is too much for Yunior to handle, so he constantly throws up in this vehicle. This never happened to Yunior before in any other vehicle. Another thing that likely never happened, or Yunior was not aware of previously, is his father’s want for a new wife. Papi uses this van to cheat on his wife and impress the Puerto-Rican woman during his visits to her home. The brothers, Yunior and Rafa, fear their father the most, especially when he gets angry. This is shown in the first paragraph of page 23, where Yunior mentions that if Papi saw them running around naked, he would have kicked them. This may be another contributing factor to Yunior’s tummy issues when riding the Volkswagen. Yunior knows that his dad is cheating on his wife, and that his mom is hurting deep down because of her marriage. He may also be vomiting as a result of the anxieties brought on by his family-related issues and the radical change of lifestyle that accompanies the move between two countries.

11/18/21

Fathers and Daughters

In Díaz’s story, we see the effects of masculinity and sexuality on the childhood of our narrator Yunior. Yunior’s papi, Rámon, showcases an interesting stereotype among some men. There is a commonality among some men to create a standardized sort of dealing with women, where all women are objects, or subjects of desire, and therefore deserve to be treated poorly, or just treated as less. A sort of contradiction to this behaviour, is exemplified in these men’s actions towards their daughters. There is a common practice amongst fathers to treat their daughters with care and protect them, yet treat other women differently. This is exemplified in Rámon’s treatment of his wife, his mistress, and his countering treatment of his daughter. He shows care for his daughter when he collects the coins from the toll booth for the amusement of Madai (page 28). This is one of the only moments we see him act in a non violent way.

Ultimately Rámon’s actions towards his daughter work to end the violence against women, but his treatment of his sons works to enforce it. In his blatant expression of infidelity which he readily shares with his sons, Rámon sets an example for a patriarchal expression of relationships for his sons. These actions are further highlighted in his violence towards his children, in which he hits his sons, Yunior especially. In this we see him pass along his negative identity to his sons, yet refrains from giving it to his daughter. In these separate treatments, there is much to be understood in regards to men’s own realization of the discrimination against women to desire to protect their daughters from the same thing, yet not to stop such destructive actions in themselves or other men.

11/18/21

The Party is Over

While “Fiesta 1980” is a story about a family party, there seems to be a large emphasis and focus on Yunior’s carsickness problem, leading me to consider the potential messages Junot Diaz is trying to get across. 

His vomiting problem is a major source of conflict and abuse. Yunior alludes to the root of this new problem being his new environment since he ‘was famous for his steel-lined stomach” that only a “third-world childhood could give you” (pg 29). In this case, it seems that his vomiting problem is perhaps a manifestation of the anxiety that immigrating to a new country triggers, especially since it is triggered only when he is in the car after he has eaten. The implication here may be that Yunior is struggling to assimilate into his new country since American food is unsettling for him. It may also be that the movement of the car is enough to trigger the feelings of turmoil and chaos that immigrating may have initially caused resulting in a physical anxiety response. In this case, perhaps Diaz is trying to emphasize the way that immigration can be distressing for a child and the difficulty of assimilation into a completely different society. 

Another approach to understanding this habit of Yunior is to view it as an invitation for his father to take care of him. It is clearly evident that his father is a violent and threatening man who does not offer any paternal love or support. Yunior craves time and care from his Papi and has learned that his carsickness is the only way he can achieve it. He describes his car trips with Papi as something he looks forward to and that “when we were alone he treated much better like maybe I was his son or something” (pg 35). While Yunior understands that his father is a dangerous and scary man, he still desires his attention, and the only way he knows how to get this is by physically demanding it. This makes me consider that Diaz is offering a critique of patriarchal dominance by showcasing the manipulation men are capable of; Yunior both hates and craves his father’s attention. 

11/17/21

The “Voice In-Between”

The adolescent “narrative voice” of Yunior in “Fiesta, 1989” is what intrigued me the most this week. In “Funeral for a Bird,” we explored the literary device of the child narrator, which we determined conferred a sense of innocence on the reading. For Máximo, it was his inexperience with life that shaped his worldview, and thus, the way that we as readers perceived his world. In other texts, alternatively, was the hyperaware “adult narrator.” In Grieving, for instance, the narrative voice of Rivera-Garza has seen and heard too much to ever operate once again from the state of childlike bliss; her reading is tainted by her knowledges of political unrest, death, and reality. Falling in the middle of this “child-adult” narrative voice is Yunior’s. Like Máximo, he is not yet old enough to identify how his father’s abuse, affair, and skewed family dynamics relate to deeper questions about political and social issues, poverty and diaspora. Yet like the “adult voice,” his is mature enough to advance a bit of a critique of his situation. So, as readers we are presented with this “in-between” narrative voice that simultaneously makes us sympathetic to the parts of it that are still “childlike,” while at the same time Yunior’s awareness of his situation resonates with us as readers from the outside looking in. I wonder what a younger reader (say, 13 or 14) would make of this text – would they find Yunior’s adolescent narrative voice overly mature, or on-par with their own?

11/17/21

Gazes of Sympathy and Recognition

“Fiesta, 1980” by Junot Diaz explores the sad reality of family relations driven by the fear of communication. Stemming from an abusive parent, Papi, we see Yunior’s family descend into a state of anxiety and fear of confrontation within their own home, a space that should be safe. Mami, Rafa, Madai, and Yunior submit to abuse that coerces them into silence against Papi’s obvious violence. Although the physical punishments that come with challenging Papi’s assertion of toxic masculinity are painful, it seems the family members are more concerned about losing Papi’s love (pg. 27), they know that to challenge his violent control is to undermine the agreed-upon silence which artificially unites the family under a somewhat liveable and stable environment.

Yet, although the four family members cannot express the repressive family environment, the gaze and looks exchanged provide solidarity and recognition to each other’s feelings evoked by Papi’s abuse. Looks are a very important motif in Junot’s story. The first instance is on page 23 when Papi returns from his affair, and Yunior and Rafa look at each other to recognize their father’s family betrayal. Another pivotal point in the story is on page 26, where Madai is too scared to open her eyes. By being the youngest, Papi’s violence is something she is not as accustomed to. By closing her eyes, she is likely in denial of the pain inflicted by her dad and does not want to recognize the others’ anxiety yet. Finally, probably the most moving moment of recognition in the story, on page 42, Yunior looks at his mom with love and compassion, and through a smile, Mami seems to reassure him of her love. Hence, through gazes of sympathy and recognition, they transmit and read feelings through their eyes that they could not communicate otherwise because of Papi’s presence.

11/17/21

“Fiesta” a story of domestic violence and patriarchal values

The short story “Fiesta” by Junnot Diaz is an interesting story narrated by the young main character. However; the character is a kid and the way he is having complicated experiences at his own home, makes the reader to be more sensitive. I found a bit alarming the fact that Yunor, the character, is aware of his own dad cheating on her mother and with cynicism , his dad brings him into her lover’s house a few times. In addition, one can understand that the father is enforcing a patriarchal rule in the house and he is the one who runs everything. Also, Yunor explains how his dad sometimes smacks him or beats him if he misbehaves and the mother seems  not to have enough power to control the father’s temper. From my personal view, I found the story had many intense moments and what makes it more complicated, is the fact that they are an Immigrant family. Personally, I liked the story; however I found tragic that the main character had to deal with constant conflict.