The Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao Gender And Identity

The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: Gender and Identity Gender and identity are both unique features that make up a person. Society has expectations on how everyone should act, especially when it comes to a person’s gender and gender roles. In â€Å"The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao†, the character Oscar is conflicted with his identity and with his masculinity. The people around him are constantly attacking him for not living up to the standards that society has put into place. Gender and identity are themes that each character in the story struggles with. Oscar is not the typical Dominican man that his family expects him to be. He is considered to be a nerd which leads to the lack of romance in his adolescence and adulthood. In an article by Joori Joyce Lee it says: â€Å"Growing up as a ghetto nerd, or a smart kid in a poor-ass community, Diaz felt like a mutant because he found himself to be an outsider in both the Dominican subculture and mainstream white American society.† (Lee, pg 23). Oscar could never really fi t in with his peers or even with Dominicans, he is always considered an outsider to them. â€Å"Everybody noticed his lack of game and because they were Dominican everybody talked about it.† (Diaz, pg. 24). His own family recognizes his lack of masculinity that a Dominican man should have. Even Oscar’s sister Lola encourages him to lose weight and to become more masculine in order to get a girlfriend. His uncle Rudolfo is a prime example of what society expects everyShow MoreRelatedThe Farming Of Bones And The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao1270 Words   |  6 Pagesand â€Å"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao† were two different stories of innocent characters who lived and were affected during Trujillo’s reign. These stories targeted the central problems that the characters went through and the amount of impact it caused them through this cruel leadership. During that time, many were oppressed and were forced to cope with the life style that Trujil lo created. Oppression played a significant role in the characters because it led to a loss of identity; however, theRead MoreThe Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao959 Words   |  4 PagesGender stereotypes or abnormalities are not always apparent at first when reading a book. But it does become apparent when something is shown that is the opposite of what society thinks they should be. Gender is a serious issue that most people do not address because they only think of gender as what they were taught their whole lives. Then when someone does not meet these stereotypes they are seen as an outsider and are ostracized. This can be seen in the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar WaoRead MoreShort Essay Questions on Six Literary Works1257 Words   |  6 Pagesgive up and did not afraid to express herself as the way she is. She was able to stay strong after the turning point of her life, meeting her friend, Wendi. Janet’s relationship with Wendi changed Janet intensely and became very valuable as she was becoming sure of what she undoubtedly craves. Wendi, just like Janet, she was born as a boy, but she hoped for a change of her gender to a girl. When Janet first met Wendi, Wendi was wearing makeup and dressed up like a girl. She lived with her supportiveRead MoreThe Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Waao Analysis1533 Words   |  7 Pagestogether neither can be separated from each other. The violence of the past can arouse from the dead, and eat alive a new life. Indeed, replacing a tragedy with another one is harmful, but it brings peace at the end. Violence is a very complex term that brings up the darkness of the human world, whether physical or mental, it attacks both ways. 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She lived with her supportive grandparents, whoRead MoreDemocracy, Rights, Liberty, Opportunity, And Equality1589 Words   |  7 Pageshave respected and learned about new cultures, so now being an American consists of following several principles and ideas, not a particular ethnic identity. Therefore, one can be an American while still taking pride in one’s cultural history and traditions. Although this is what most Americans believe, there have been many debates about American identities throughout history. Although immigration throughout history is one of the major reasons for the population development and the cultural changeRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagescountries around the globe.[15] The genre translates fairly directly into cinematic form, the coming-of-age film. Plot outline[edit] A Bildungsroman relates the growing up or coming of age of a sensitive person who goes in search of answers to life s questions with the expectation that these will result from gaining experience of the world. The genre evolved from folklore tales of a dunce or youngest son going out in the world to seek his fortune. Usually in the beginning of the story there