Tag Archives: Junot Diaz

Stenosis

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Stenosis (noun) – a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stenosis

From: “The Cheater’s Guide to Love” by Junot Diaz

“The numbness in your arms and legs increases. You return to your doctors and they send you over to a neurologist, who sends you out for an MRI. Looks like you have stenosis all down your spine, the doctor reports, impressed.”

Here, the word stenosis is used to describe a condition that the narrator is suffering from. He is unable to lift heavy weights now. This shows that the narrator is getting older and probably won’t have the ability to actively date now. Also, due to the depression from his ex-girlfriend leaving him, the narrator is gaining weight and his spine is unable to support it.

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Erratic

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Erattic (adjective) – characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erratic

From: “The Cheater’s Guide to Love” by Junot Diaz

“You’re fine for, like, a week. Then your moods become erratic. One minute you have to stop yourself from jumping in the car and driving to see her and the next you’re calling a sucia and saying, You’re the one I always wanted. You start losing your temper with friends, with students, with colleagues. You cry every time you hear Monchy y Alexandra, her favorite.”

The author uses the word erratic here to show how the feelings of the narrator are conflicted. He is unsure of what to do, and when to do it. The narrator’s fiancĂ©e leaves him after she finds out that he is cheating on her. Now, he is going through a period of grief and he wants to try and get her back, but a part of him wants to be with other women.  So, he is unable to maintain a consistent mood.