The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Book Analysis Essay Example

In 2007 Edwidge Danticat published an interview with Junot Díaz to compose understanding about his new novels. Edwidge Danticat is an award-winning Haitian American novelist. Junot Díaz is an award-winning Dominican American novelist. Through their conversation, we can see the flow of language and the ability to write novels that are craved by the audience. Key significant to writing novels that are pressured by the audience are novels that people can connect to. In the book The Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, Díaz was able to tie in personal experiences within his family and historical experiences to create the main character, Oscar. Growing up, Díaz explained that Dominican men had to be masculine. However, they had to be a particular type of masculine to fit a set idea of Dominican masculinity. “Where we were smacked around regularly by our father (to toughen us up) …” (90). The Dominican masculinity lies between the understanding of having to be the smartest man through violence at home but also with their friends. It seems like a contest competition between who can be the toughest, and there was not a lot of spotlight on the idea of being a “nerd”. The main character, Oscar, was created to be a nerd. Díaz grew up being the nerd that Oscar presents but also involved in the family masculinity that his family. In the interview, Junot Díaz by Edwidge Danticat we can analyze how the upbringing of Oscar Wao through significant ideas from personal and historical events that composed the novel with characters that the audience craves to continue to read. 

The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is full of a theme of masculinity. I found that the theme of masculinity in the Dominican culture is very interesting to me and significant to Díaz's life. “In the Dominican culture that I know, a character like Oscar was not going to be anyone’s notion of the ideal Dominican boy” (90). The theme of masculinity is so interesting to me because of the different perceptions that different cultures have on the expectations and social constructs. In addition, the toxic masculinity of having to only be tough through strength I found to be interesting as that was one of the reasons why Oscar Wao is the way Oscar is in the book. In addition, because of the toxic masculinity that is expected in the Dominican culture, “Oscar was a composite of all the nerds that I grew up with who didn’t have that specifical reservoir of masculine privilege” (90). This is significant because Díaz mentioned that he would have the Oscar in his life if it wasn’t for his father. Growing up his father pushed him to be the tough, masculine male that is respected. However, in the book, we can see that Oscar was not respected. At some parts of the book, he lost friends, crushes, and felt alone. The idea of building a chapter off of what life would have been being interesting because in my eyes would make the book easy to write. In addition, the book took years to be finished, and it was because the parts with Oscar were easy to compose, but the other parts of the book took a little more time to write. I felt like that is very significant because we can take a similar idea into our own life, and compose homework assignments, lab work, or even exams easier when we can connect to the material. The building blocks for characters are significant because it is the foundation to creating a successful book. The audience won’t crave more similar books from the Díaz without the opportunity to connect to the book. In addition, in my own experience, the book had a lot of key stories, Fuku and Safa that we all could relate to on some level. 

In the interview, Junot Díaz by Edwidge Danticat we can analyze how the upbringing of Oscar Wao through significant ideas from personal and historical events that composed the novel with characters that the audience craves to continue to read. A significant takeaway from the interview is the connection the characters have with the book. Without a good relationship or building blocks for the characters have the audience won’t connect to the book leading to an unsuccessful book. I felt like there were a lot of other important key take-ups always within the interview, but I found that this key takes away was insightful to be able to write a successful book and keep the author invested in writing. “These days I write a lot…Learned a lot from Oscar. I’m a new man, you see, a new man, a new man” (95). Sometimes the book is significant for the audience to hear, but oftentimes it is a way that authors can work through something that they are going through in their life.