The importance of introducing various speakers on the part of the novel establishes the level of author’s engagement into the story, as well as his relation to the theme of fuku and zafa in his life. The choice of the narrator, however, changes from one chapter to another to convey various perspectives on a specific occasion. The presence of various dialects also explains the author’s close adherence to the mythology of fuku and zafa.įor instance, the fictional narrator of the story Yunior makes use of the mixture of both languages, representing the identity and alter ego of Junot Diaz. In addition to the autodidactic speech, there is an evident combination of Spanish and English languages that point to the protagonist’s ancestry. Most of the phrases like “I do not move so precipitously” (Diaz 39), or “I think she’s orchidaceous” (Diaz 35) are skillfully combined with literary language. Use of new words and phrases creates connection between the real world in which the surrounding people live and fictional world with which Oscar is obsessed. Specific attention requires Oscars’ speech that presents a language premised on his knowledge of fiction, the so-called ‘nerd’ literature. To render the mystery and mythological themes of fuku, the author experiments with various styles and assigns different narrators in the chapters of the novel. The undertone of magical realism is intertwined with the story’s events to fit in the concepts of fuku and zafa as something natural happening to the characters. To emphasize the evident presence of the curse, the author writes, “she was in the grips of the Darkness, passed through days like a shade passes through life” (Diaz 160).Īlthough she is always on the edge of death while undergoing hardships due to the fuku, the heroine manages to survive as the Godlike Mongoose helps her. Her further fate is also followed by complications, and she is doomed to become a social outcast. Similar to her son Oscar, Beli cannot settle her personal life because of her social status.

In particular, the chapter dedicated to Beli’s difficult life as she was raised in abusive families. This is of particular concern to the protagonist’s mother Beli and his grandfather Aberald. To enhance the theme of fuku, the author refers to the flashbacks from the past to describe the hard experience that Oscar’s relatives had to face. The story itself is aimed at reverting the negative experience of the immigrants. Nevertheless, the author hopes for zafa as a counteraction for all burdens that the de Leon family faces. Within this context, the novel argues that the curse, or fuku, pursues Oscar and his family across generations, dooming them to tragic accidents and the character’s inability to find love and reconciliation. These explanations frame the main theme of the novel that is confined to describing the miserable life of Oscar and his family, as well as his failed attempts to become recognized and find love in life.

Intergenerational trauma in oscar wao