In the story Drown by Junot Diaz, the author reveal Yuniorâs relationships with others. The absence of his father during childhood made Yunior more dependent on his mother, It can be said that Yuniorâs mother is the center of his world. Compared with Yunior’s brother Rafa and father, the mother is more like Yunior’s haven, a supporter protecting Yunior at all the time.
Yunior has a strange relationship with his father the complex source of resentment, who was absent from Yunior when he was young and then betrayed Yunior’s mother with his mistress, Yunior is upset with his fatherâs unreliability and infidelity. Even if the family reunited in the United States, they still looked like strangers. It’s as if Yunior’s father never cared about Yunior.
InâYsraelâ Yunior and his brother Rafa are living in the Dominican Republic. Their father has abandoned them their mother sent them to a relative’s house because she wanted to work in a chocolate factory. We know that Yunior’s brother Rafa has the same character as his father when Yunior and his brother Rafa got on the bus, an old man sitting next to Yunior started grope Yunior on the grounds of helping to clean up the stains on Junior pants. Yunio started to cry after pushing the man away and getting out of the car. His brother Rafa didn’t go to comfort Yunio but yelled at him because Yunior and his mother lived together for many years, Yunior’s personality is more docile, So Rafa has the dominance when dealing with Yunior. Yunior was not very violent at this time, but unknowingly, as he grew up, the mother and Yunior relationship change, Yunior began to look up to his brother Rafa and his father. Yunior thinks his father and brother Rafa are a role model, unlike a supporter like mother.
Later in the story, Yunior became a high school drug dealer, but Yunior did not want his mother to know that he was selling drugs. Yunior was afraid that any customer would go to him and buy drugs for him in front of his mother. Remember a recruiter who wanted to offer a real career to Yunior. Yunior rejected his offer. I think it’s because Yunior chose to keep the current lifestyle. Yunior is afraid to make changes, He rather prefers to take the shortcut to makes money such as selling drugs. Or because of his mother, Yunior doesn’t want to leave his mother alone. Therefore, Yunior chose to stay with his mother
In the short story âDrownâ, Yunior cut ties with Beto. Their friendship ends with the ingrained homophobia. Yunior has an encounter that his closet friend is gay. They were so close to each other. watching t.v. and doing terrible things like shoplifting. Even Yunior’s mother considers Beto to be part of the family. With Beto being gay destroyed their friendship. Only Beto and Yunior know the true reason for their departure as friends. If Yunior has told people or the public about Beto, his life will be ruined. The people closest to him will leave and reject him as well. Also, Yunior will look bad just by associating with him. I will say it was a good thing they went their separate ways and kept silent. Gay people suffer from discourse communities. They might be lucky by having people supporting them or also being with other gay people. The public wonât all agree being around them.