As soon as this fictional story beings I was caught off guard. Not even a few sentences in the author, Junot Diaz, began cursing up a storm while explaining the dire situation this family found themselves in. This abrupt beginning laid the foundation for a disheartening story. The narrator Yunior and his mother tended to his older brother Rafa, who tried to live a rebellious life despite the fact that he was fighting a terminal illness. Rafa continued to party and tried to hold down a job. Rafa took total advantage of his mother even after she had kicked him out because of his eloping with a young, illegal immigrant, Pura. He stole things from their apartment and continually raided his mother's savings box. I couldn't believe that even though Rafa knew he was dying he chose to hurt and push away his mother who was one of the only people who truly cared for him. He constantly tried to fight with his brother Yunior. In the end he knocked Yunior unconscious by throwing a lock at his younger brother; this came after he realized that Pura had taken advantage of him and his family. He was wrong but in the likely last months of his life he was still driving away his family.
I had a lot of trouble understanding the meaning of this story. I truly admired how much Rafa's mother still cared for him despite him consistently pushing her away. Also, I hated Rafa for treating her like that. I think this story showed that having a serious illness does not always change a person. Usually stories that feature people dying of a serious illness focus on how they have grown and found true meaning of life after the terminal diagnosis. However, in this story Rafa steals from his mother, marries a women who I believe he does not love, and fights with his brother. This was a twist for me; Rafa never changes. I think this story showcased the dark side of dying.
Haha thanks for summarizing the story for me! I didn't know it was such a sad story. When I compare the two stories, it's interesting to see how the characters push their own family away. In "The Pura Principle" Rafa pushes away his family but steals money from them and in "The Yellow Wallpaper" John pushes his wife away when he treats her more like a patient than as a wife. Yet the ones being pushed away still love Rafa and John in their respective stories.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Rafa didn't change, but the ones being pushed away changed, like the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper."
I feel your confusion when you talk about how you don't understand the meaning. Throughout the story, it talked about the mom took care of Rafa and was unwavering in her love and kindness towards him, unlike the sibling. But then all of a sudden it changes to her having complete hatred towards him. The story however changes again in the end when that hatred was replaced by a previous feeling of love for her son when she welcomed him back home after he had gotten sick without hesitation.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on so many things you said. The unchanging Rafa character and his ugly actions towards his mother and his mother who was unconditionally loving! Your last words "dark side of dying" made the whole story seem really eerie, that's a side I didn't view while reading. :]