Summary: The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

Oscar: The Anti-Dominican The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao includes many instances of the novel’s protagonist, Oscar, falling in love with unattainable women, as well as other moments where Oscar feels pity for himself. Oscar spends most of the novel looking for a woman who will love him back, and his self-pity comes as a result of his failure to find a woman. Unlike many of his Dominican peers, who do well with the ladies, Oscar is not very handsome, nor is he able to talk to many girls. Oscar is also an avid fan of comics and science fiction, an interest that many people fin d unappealing. Oscar seems to be resisting the idea that Dominican men should be great womanizers who pride themselves on sleeping with a great number of women. Oscar seems to have gentlemanly intentions of having a meaningful relationship with a woman, unlike many other Dominican men. Oscar’s entire persona goes against his upbringing in a Dominican community in New Jersey, as he is the complete opposite of a stereotypical Dominican male. Oscar’s interest in comic books is a theme that is prevalent throughout the entire story. References to comics often appear after Oscar has a troublesome moment or encounter with a girl. For example, on page 14, Oscar faces an ultimatum when he is asked by one
girlfriend to break up with the other girlfriend. It says, “Oscar went home morose to his pre-Korean-sweatshop-era cartons- to the Herculoids and Space Ghost.” As Oscar gets older, he becomes more attached to Genres, and does not interact with his peers. Oscar’s interests in fiction helped him get through the hardships he faced during his teenage years. These comic books and science fiction stories were something he truly enjoyed and could relate to. At the end of the book, during Oscar’s final moments, Oscar is apprehended by the two police officers for spending time with Ybón. The two men beat Oscar, and take him to the field to be executed. While the men are preparing to shoot Oscar, Oscar acts bravely. On page 321, it says, “He told them what they were doing was wrong, that they were going to take a great love out of the world.” Oscar does not cry or become scared during this ordeal. Instead, he is brave and faces the situation like a superhero would. Oscar’s appearance is another characteristic that is mentioned frequently.
Oscar is described as being very heavy, having terrible acne and wearing big glasses and his hair in an afro. Compared to other Dominican guys, who were suave and well-coiffed, Oscar was very unattractive. Yunior tries to help out Oscar, offering to help him exercise. Oscar attempts to work out with Yunior by going running with him, but Oscsar is subject to many verbal attacks while jogging. These hurtful remarks, along with Oscar’s lack of physical fitness, cause Oscar to stop running, and thus, his appearance stays the same. Oscars love pursuits are some of the most important occurrences in the
book.

Ybón was the only girl who was different from all the other girls Oscar fell in love with because she opened up to Oscar and reciprocated some of her feelings to him. Oscar is also said to have lost his virginity to her, which was a tremendous feat. In the end, Oscar died in pursuit of the main goal in his life, which was finding a girl to love. Throughout The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, several aspects of Oscar’s character play huge parts in the story. Oscar’s appearance, his interests in comic books and science fiction, as well as his numerous love pursuits classify him as being different from the rest of his Dominican peers, who were very svelte and interested in sleeping with as many women as possible. Oscar’s battle in this story is against the Dominican male stereotype, as nearly all of Oscar’s intentions and interests counteract the traditional Dominican ways.