Yunior

            Yunior is the main character in both of Junot Díaz’s stories, “Ysrael” and “Fiesta, 1980.” In the story “Ysrael,” Yunior is nine and his older brother, Rafa, is twelve. In this story, Yunior looks up to Rafa and sees him as a source of knowledge about the things he has not yet been exposed to. There are multiple instances of Rafa telling Yunior stories, although probably exaggerated, about what he has done and even directly instructing Yunior about how to act. This is shown most clearly when Yunior cries when they get off the bus and Rafa chides him and tells him he needs to act tougher. Rafa doesn’t understand what Yunior is crying about, but he does give him advice based on his experiences and his view of Yunior as not tough enough. Throughout this story there is also a sense of camaraderie between them, at least from Yunior’s perspective. Yunior is excited that he is able to come along with Rafa and take part in the excitement that he would usually be left out of. There is a sense, especially at the end when they are about to run from the bus as they get off, that they are in this together.

This relationship between Yunior and Rafa changes in “Fiesta, 1980.” In this story Yunior seems less engaged with his brother and there is much less of a dynamic of camaraderie between them. Part of this is that they are no longer in the campo in the second story. Yunior notes that in the campo they were friends but that this was not always the case. But there are also other differences in their relationship. Rafa knows when to move away from Yunior when their father is angry and doesn’t have the same instructional vibe that he gives off in “Ysrael.” Rafa still maintains higher authority and a higher level of knowledge that Yunior, this time about the affair their father is having, but he is less inclined to share this knowledge and Yunior has to figure it out on his own. Yunior seems much less a part of Rafa’s life in this environment. Rafa prefers to stay with his friends and doesn’t seem like he is on Yunior’s side anymore.

The difference in Yunior and Rafa’s relationship is also highlighted by the fact that they are now with their father. In “Ysrael,” their father was in New York and only occasionally sent things back to them. Rafa used their father as an example when Yunior was crying to tell him to get tougher. This knowledge about their father, who Rafa had more experience was part of what gave him authority over Yunior who had few memories of his father. In “Fiesta, 1980” they are now with their father and Rafa no longer has this knowledge that Yunior doesn’t. In fact, the abuse of their father negates some of their idealized view of him and stresses tensions in the house even further. Their father specifically forbids Rafa from giving Yunior food, and Rafa complies fearing the consequences. Because Rafa is unable to help him and because Yunior doesn’t feel like Rafa is confiding in him the way he used to, especially with their father’s affair, they lose the camaraderie that they had in the first story. “Fiesta, 1980” portrays Yunior as much more alone and isolated, without even the possibility of tagging along with his brother that he had in “Ysrael.”

A New Perspective

            The use of second person in the story “How” by Lorrie Moore forces us to align ourselves with the protagonist and understand their perspective in the story. The story “How” portrays a very different main character than the other stories so far in the collection. This character feels like she is the one that is trapped in a relationship that she doesn’t want to be in and she can’t find her way out. The man in the story is trying to do what he can to make the relationship work in every way he can. He learns about the things she likes, reads the same books as her, and does all the dishes and laundry for her while she is gone. He really tries to make the relationship work but all his efforts just make her feel worse and cause her to pull away from him even more.

            In the story “What is Seized” the husband is characterized as “cold” and seems emotionally removed from his wife. In that story it is extremely easy to judge him and condemn him for his coldness and his inability to connect with his wife and make her happy. But that understanding of a cold man is complicated when the story “How” portrays the main character in much the same way. She shares the same detachment from the man in the story and could also be characterized as being “cold” in many ways. If you see the story “How” from the man’s perspective it would look a lot more like “What is Seized” because from his perspective he is trying to make their relationship work but isn’t getting a useful response. He is trying to do what he can but is faced with a cold partner who is unable to connect with him anymore.

            Given the new perspective in “How” we have to question out perspective in the other stories. The story “How” alerts us to that fact that we are always only getting one side of the story and that it looks very different from the other side. Although these are two unique stories and the relationships portrayed in each of them are very different in a lot of ways, there are similarities in that each of these stories has a character that is emotionally removed and a character that is trying to make the relationship work. In “What is Seized” we see the perspective of someone trying to make it work and being frustrated by the lack of understanding in her husband. And in “How” we see someone who is stuck in a relationship that she wants out of but cannot figure out how to get out, therefore closing herself off more and more from the relationship.