Drown Section: Book Reports
In this book, words used show lots of meaning (strong use of verbs). By doing this Diaz has managed to physically imprint the reality of his characters so as to make them seen. The characters step out of the plots so vibrantly real. What I enjoyed about this book is that there was no use of Italics or any other editorial assistance for the reader. This showed me that he is taking a stand against the use of Italics. It´s almost as though Diaz is writing in a diary and there is no need for such things. Also, these stories are not read like stories, they are more like a sociological study. The feelings and the observations jump off the page so much so that the stories appear very much autobiographical. Again bringing up the point of whether it should be classified fiction or non-fiction. D'az never loses sight of the telling details of immigrant life stateside. He describes food from the perspective of a Dominican boy who eats only boiled yucca and platano. The yucca and platano is a symbol of his poverty and hunger in Aguantando. Then he writes about everyone getting obese in America; even the immigrants themselves. This simple abundance of food gets to the imagination of immigrants, enduring for many years as the newcomer´s fascination with the United States. The picture inside the plastic bag of the father in Aguantando is one of the symbols. This is a symbol of an absentee father; present in more that one story. The government cheese, was also a symbol of hunger and poverty. It was both treasured and hated. He was amazed at the generosity of Americans but at the same time he was ashamed by it. Clear the government cheese from the refrigerator (Diaz 143) What I do like about Drown is D'az´s ability to dramatize the tragedies of immigrants without making everything seem over dramatic or fake. As an immigrant who shared several of these experiences, as a young stranger in a strange land, I find this narrative very accurate. Drown offers a dignified portrayal of immigrant life because of the reality behind it. Because of its authenticity I would conclude that this book is mainly autobiographical!
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