Junot Diaz: Characterization
In the short story, “Fiesta”, Junot Diaz characterizes the main character, Yunior, as a child we should feel sorry for. Much sorrow is felt for Yunior due to him going hungry, his uncontrolled vomiting, and him sacrificing his social life just to keep his family together. He withholds his father’s deepest, darkest secret from his mother, but his father still treats him as if he was not his son.
Readers sympathize with Yunior because of the many tribulations his father puts him through. Yunior keeps his father’s secret because he knows it could potentially tear his family apart and he is scared of his father. In the opening paragraph of the story Yunior informs us that his father is either abusive or has the capability of being abusive. Yunior relays this information by saying, “If Papi had walked in and caught us lounging around, he would have kicked our asses something serious” (150 Diaz). If Yunior’s punishment for lounging around the house was this brutal, imagine the severity if he ruined his parents’ marriages. When growing up, kids are taught that lying is wrong. Yunior’s situation is opposite; he must lie or otherwise be punished severely. Yunior is an innocent child in a catch twenty-two situation. He can either tell the true with the guilt of tearing his family apart or keep his father’s secret while seeing his mother upset.
Readers feel a sense of remorse towards Yunior because of the sickness that is brought upon him by his father’s van. Any car ride, after a meal, Yunior vomits in the van. Yunior’s family believes that the smell of the upholstery is the trigger to his vomiting, but Yunior knows the real cause is the story behind the van. His father only bought the van to impress his mistress. Yunior says, “I’d never had trouble with cars before, and that van was like my curse” (Diaz 151). Yunior’s father scolds him every time he vomits in the van. Even though Yunior knows the reasoning of his vomiting, he must accept the punishments placed upon him
Readers sympathize with Yunior because of the many tribulations his father puts him through. Yunior keeps his father’s secret because he knows it could potentially tear his family apart and he is scared of his father. In the opening paragraph of the story Yunior informs us that his father is either abusive or has the capability of being abusive. Yunior relays this information by saying, “If Papi had walked in and caught us lounging around, he would have kicked our asses something serious” (150 Diaz). If Yunior’s punishment for lounging around the house was this brutal, imagine the severity if he ruined his parents’ marriages. When growing up, kids are taught that lying is wrong. Yunior’s situation is opposite; he must lie or otherwise be punished severely. Yunior is an innocent child in a catch twenty-two situation. He can either tell the true with the guilt of tearing his family apart or keep his father’s secret while seeing his mother upset.
Readers feel a sense of remorse towards Yunior because of the sickness that is brought upon him by his father’s van. Any car ride, after a meal, Yunior vomits in the van. Yunior’s family believes that the smell of the upholstery is the trigger to his vomiting, but Yunior knows the real cause is the story behind the van. His father only bought the van to impress his mistress. Yunior says, “I’d never had trouble with cars before, and that van was like my curse” (Diaz 151). Yunior’s father scolds him every time he vomits in the van. Even though Yunior knows the reasoning of his vomiting, he must accept the punishments placed upon him