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Lizette Arellano Professor Trembath English 102: Essay I, Final Draft 26 September 2013 Cultural Norms Throughout the several stereotypes presented in todays culture, the one that stands firmest in its belief is the culture of the Latin Americans. Whether the people of this culture are known as Hispanic, Latinos, beaners, "cholos" or "cholas," they are often stereotyped. Not only does stereotyping make an appearance in other people of ethnic backgrounds but it also does in its own culture. The idea of being a respected man in the sense that he has money and is known as a playboy, derives from several Hispanic American cultures. The infamous belief that the mother is the head of the family and the daughter must follow in her footsteps also plays a role in this culture. The novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, depicts the ideas of cultural norms and how culture impacts the lives of the characters and how these gender stereotypes eventually defines them as the people they turn out to be. Throughout the novel the expectations of cultural norms dramatically affects the life of Oscar. Growing up in a Dominican family, they expected nothing but the best from him, that he be well off with women and be a well educated man with a future. Although at the age of seven this was true and described as the Golden Age for Oscar, it certainly did not last very long. The author highly emphasizes sex as a key ingredient in being the perfect Dominican male. Dominican men are characterized by their culture and family as

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having power, charm, looks, being violent and sexually active. As the years progressed that boy turned into a wallflower, an observer watching, understanding but not acting. The expectations of being a Dominican impacts Oscars character greatly, and ultimately leads to his demise. Oscar is projected to be a playboy yet he is everything but and proves to be awkward and shy towards, what Oscar things are, species of the opposite sex. Outcasted and labeled a geek, Oscar finds himself alone in the midst of his own family. Oscar is deemed in the novel as a more chivalrous man and is belittled in his beliefs that true love exists like in the sci-fi books he writes. After surviving his first unrequited love the author writes that, His affection- that gravitational mass of love, fear, longing, desire, and lust that he directed at any and every girl in the vicinity without regard to looks, age or availability- broke his heart each and every day (Diaz 23). His first failed attempt to have a relationship with Ana, who was the bread to his cheese, Oscar was too shy to act upon his infatuation. He ultimately led her back into the arms of her abusive boyfriend, while Oscar helped her pick up the pieces. Oscars lack of G is centralized in this novel, his goal being to catch the eye of a woman and to have her return his affection. However he lacks the ability to fight and the desire to fight to commit violence of any kind. Without the masculinity that is expected from him he does not fill the expectations of being a Dominican man. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Trujillo, Junior and Tio Rudolfo are considered Oscars Hyde to his Jekyll. Serving as Oscars foils these characters prove to live up to the expectations of the Dominican culture. They demonstrate to be the exact replica of what it is to be a Dominican man. Although he was a cruel dictator, Trujillo

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represents the alpha male and being a domineering character he serves as the aggressive male stereotype which contrasts with the passive aggressive persona of Oscar. Junior is the epitome of Dominican Masculinity for he is all the things that fit the male stereotype and most importantly, he is always sleeping with more than one girl at a time. Tio Rudolfo also embodies this cultural expectation and both Junior and Rudolfo attempt to give Oscar pointers on how to have more G and attract women. Oscar however fails to listen to their advice. Due to the beliefs and expectations that are upheld in his culture, Oscar becomes suicidal and unfortunately, does not overcome his depression due to his lack of relationships with women and people. Along with Oscar, Lola Wao, his sister is greatly impacted by the culture she grows up in. Lolas rebellious and defiant demeanor is sculpted by the impact of her generation and the one before her. Growing up in the 80s the culture there greatly fluctuates from the one that raised her. Lolas rebelliousness always plays a role in determining her actions due to the individualistic culture she was raised in that focused on the importance of the individual. However, being nurtured by a collectivist mother, which revolves around the importance of family, Lola is expected to be a perfect Dominican daughter. Lolas toxic relationship with her mother is depicted heavily throughout the novel as self-explosive,
You don't know what it's like to grow up with a mother who never said a positive thing in her life, not about her children or the world, who was always suspicious, always tearing you down and splitting your dreams straight down the seams. When my first pen pal, Tomoko, stopped writing me after three letters she was the one who laughed: You think someone's going to lose life writing to you? Of course I cried; I was eight and I had already planned that Tomoko and her family would adopt me. My mother of

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course saw clean into the marrow of those dreams, and laughed. I wouldn't write to you either, she said. She was that kind of mother: who makes you doubt yourself, who would wipe you out if you let her. But I'm not going to pretend either. For a long time I let her say what she wanted about me, and what was worse, for a long time I believed her (Diaz 59)

Her impulsive behavior leads to her becoming a reckless person with disregard for anyone but herself. The emotionally and physically abusive relationship between her and her mom reflects the stereotypical Hispanic American mother daughter relationship. Constantly defying her mother rather than being as Lola states, [to be] the perfect Dominican daughter, which is just a nice way of saying a perfect Dominican slave, who silently does everything her mother asks for, Lola does everything in her power to start a coup against her mother (Diaz 57). Her constant search for love has her running in the opposite direction finding affection from men who want everything but love. It isnt till the end of the novel that Lola believes that, if these years have taught me anything it is this: you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in. And thats what I guess these stories are all about (Diaz 71). Ultimately, Lolas need for independence and unruliness is what fuels her mothers anger. Despite the impulsive behavior displayed of Hypatia Belicia Cabral-de Leons children, Belicia is characterized by her robustness and unsympathetic parenting style. Belicia being once orphaned as a child was adopted and raised by La Inca who posed as a maternal figure for her. Similarly, Belicia and Lola in the novel and the Dominican culture as sexually desirable; their sexuality is a form of power for women. For Belicia it was most emphasized by her body and described, rather casually in hyperbolic terms, Beli was

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transformed overnight into an underaged stunner, and if Trujillo had not been on his last erections he probably would have gunned for her like hed been rumored to have gunned for her poor dead sister (Diaz 91). Belicias young maturation into puberty marked the beginning of her supremacy. Living in the Dominican Republic with someone with the looks and figure of Belicia it was almost a blessing and a curse. For Belicia however, she realizes that with her blessing she can control men. The author states that, Telling Beli not to flaunt those curves would have been like asking the persecuted fat kid not to use his recently discovered mutant abilities. With great power comes great responsibility bullshit. Our girl ran into the future that her new body represented and never ever looked back (Diaz 94). This demonstrates that Belicias reckless misuse of power was something she disregarded. In the Dominican culture, being young and beautiful is not something to flaunt it is an important variable in theformula for finding a husband. Falling in love three times her attempts to find a man who is infatuated not only in her body but her heart, Belicia never remains in a stable relationship. The cultural norms in this novel for a woman is to grow up, find a man, get married, have children, and sometimes not in that order. Later, the author delves into the thoughts of Belicia, foreshadowing her downfall, Her fiercest hope? That she will find a man. What she doesnt yet know: the cold, the backbreaking drudgery of the factoras, the loneliness of Diaspora that she will never again live in Santo Domingo, her own heart. What else she doesnt know: that the man next to her would end up being her husband and the father of her two

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children, that after two years together he would leave her, her third and final heartbreak, and she would never love again (Diaz 164) While Belicia uses her physical attractiveness to seek love and acceptance, Lola uses her sexuality to seek escape. Diaz shows the reader that although she is expected to lead the stereotypical picture perfect Dominican woman kind of life, it in turn is not the brightest of all futures. The cultural expectation in turn shaped her to become the woman she is. Though the novel revolves around the love that is reflected almost dimly through the characters, it is also about the cultural expectations or norms that the character are expected to be like. Being Dominican these protagonists are forced to fit the mold of the Dominican Playboy Male, Dominican slave daughter or even the Picture Perfect Dominican Woman. These barbie like roles are depicted in the entirety of the novel and reveals that not every person can exceed the boundaries that are thrust upon them. Like stereotypes, these norms are something that not only characters should grow out of but humanity should as well.

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Works Cited Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Penguin Group 2007. Print.