Junot Diaz's "Aguantado"

Book Review # 99537

English > Analysis
Literature > Spanish

An analysis of the theme of abscence in the novel "Aguantado" by Junot Diaz.

981 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the family in the story "Aguantado" by Junot Diaz is poor and living on the outskirts of a city and how the main issue for the family is the absence of the father. It examines how the idea of absence is increased by the way the story is told, with the narrator observing the comings and goings of others and always being outside of decision-making, in effect paralleling the role of his country, Santo Domingo, in its relationship with the US.

From the Paper:

"The story takes place with minimal description and little clear shaping of the narrative. It unfolds in a series of incidents that come to be related around the central issue of the missing father. The narrator notes at the beginning that he has not had a father for many years, yet the idea of the father clearly affects him greatly. He mentions his father often and relates the fortunes of the family to the missing father, also suggesting that the fortunes would improve if the father returned. When he wants so badly to know what letter was delivered and what was in the letter, he seems to suspect even before he is told that the letter comes from his father. The family seems to be suspended in time to a degree, waiting for the father to return, and unable to move forward very much until he does."

Sample of Sources Used:

Diaz, Junot. "Aguantado." In Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, 5th edition, Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell (eds.), 589-599. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 2003.