Gender Culture in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Oscar Wilde once said, “A man’s face is his autobiography. A women’s face is her work of fiction.” In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Dominican men are often described as hotshots, while the Dominican women are valued based on their bodies, looks and household abilities. In Juno Diaz’s 2007 novel, men and women are expected to act and to look certain ways and are judged if they differ from the cultural norm.

Men in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao are described as macho and attractive Casanovas who are remarkably good at sports. When the reader is first introduced to the main character, Oscar Cabral, he is seven-years-old and what some might call as a ladies man. He ‘‘would stand in front of [his grandmother’s] house and call out to passing women- Tu eres guapa! Tu eres guapa!”(Diaz 37). As Oscar grows into a young man, he becomes quite the opposite of what one might expect from a Dominican man.

Oscar is a love-obsessed, overweight nerd. Yunior, the narrator, pointed out that in high school Oscar ‘‘had none of the higher powers of your typical Dominican male” (Diaz 19). Oscar is the type of young man who becomes obsessed with girls the minute he meets them. He has absolutely no luck when it comes to girls. Oscar is a hopeless romantic with no one to love. The narrator of the story, Yunior, is the typical male Dominican. He is a complete opposite of Oscar.

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Yunior is often left picking up the pieces of Oscar’s messes. He attempts to show the world that he could not care less about Oscar but it is evident to the reader that he cares deeply about Oscar.

The women in Diaz’s novel are all expect to act, dress and portray themselves in a certain light for die men in their lives. Even the way women are talked about when they are not around is demeaning. Oscar is obsessed with being in love and obsessed with girls he does not know. Yunior is a womanizer and moves from girl to girl to girl. Oscar’s uncle is no better, he instill this idea of what a man is supposed to do in Oscar’s head. Oscar looks up to him so when he receives a box of condoms from him; Oscar expects that he will use them in college. Despite what society says about women, Beli Cabral, Oscar’s mother, is an extremely strong individual. She does what she wants and does not take anything from anybody. She has had more terrible events thrown at her in her life than any individual should. Beli has had three major heartbreaks all in which, the man wronged her in someway. Lola, Oscar’s sister, takes after her mother in many ways. She is strong, independent and does not let the men in her life control her. Even if Beli and Lola are very similar individuals, nothing works out for them as far as their relationship goes. Lola makes all the same mistakes as her mother; Beli can see that and just doesn’t want to see her daughter ruin her life. Lola makes plenty of bad decisions when it comes to men in her life but the only man she really cares about is Oscar. Oscar is the light in his mother and sister’s world even if he doesn’t fit the standards of a Dominican man.

When men and women are together in Diaz’s novel, there is a lot of tension and pressure to portray one’s self in the correct light. Dominican men expect the women in their lives to drop everything for them and wait on them hand and foot. Dominican women expect their men to be real macho, good-looking guys. While Lola and Beli both get mixed up with men who are no good, they always still manage to either get away safely or to take control and get themselves out as soon as possible. Men expect women to allow him to speak and treat them poorly; especially when it comes to his relationship with Lola. Oscar on the other hand creeps girls out. He follows them, stares, tries to talk to them but fails, Yunior attempts to help but he is a lost cause. On die other hand, Oscar
is also extremely weak when it comes to women. He will fall at the feet of any women who gives him the slightest bit of attention, even if it mean risking his own life or his relationships with his family.

The Brie f Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a novel based highly on the gender norms of the Dominican culture and how they affect the lives of the Dominican people. The qualities of men and women are based on trivial tasks and their looks. Anyone who was different was viewed like a charity case. Men and women would do anything just to fit into these small molds that where what their lives where expected to be like. Juno Diaz told the story of a young man who fit into none of these molds and yet he was still the bravest man in the novel.