Oscar’s Tragedy in Junot Diaz’s
The Brief Wondrous Life of
Oscar Wao
THESIS
Submited as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Sarjana Degree of English Department Faculty of Letter and Humanities State Islamic University of
Sunan Ampel Surabaya
By: Himatul Aliyah Reg Number: A03212193
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES
Oscar
’s
Tragedy in Junot Diaz’s
The Brief Wondrous Life
of Oscar Wao
THESIS
Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Sarjana Degree of English
Department Faculty of Letter and Humanities State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel
Surabaya
The Advisor
Sufi Ikrima Sa’adah, M. Hum NUP: 201603318
Himatul Aliyah
Reg Number: A03212193
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SUNAN AMPEL
SURABAYA
ABSTRACT
Aliyah, Himatul. 2016. Oscar’s Tragedy in Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of
Oscar Wao. Thesis. English Department. Faculty of Letters and Humanities. State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel Surabaya.
Thesis Advisor : Sufi Ikrima Sa’adah, M. Hum
This thesis entittled Oscar Tragedy in Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar
Wao is intended to focus on archetypal criticism depicted in the main character. This study applies both of two theories, new criticism and archetypal criticism. The main data source in this thesis is the novel entittled The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz. The data is taken from within the novel in the form of narration and dialog. The study uses the teory and concept of archetypal criticism by Aristotle in his mythos of fall that focuses on the tragedy, how the story can be classified as a tragedy, and the main character, Oscar as the figure of tragic hero and is supported by some other theories for completing the analysis. The analysis in this thesis is divided into two sections. The first one describes Oscar ‘s tragedy and the second potrays how the tragedy leads Oscar to be a tragic hero. After analyzing the data, it is clear that Oscar becomes a tragic hero. He undergoes death because of his action, and it makes him become a tragic hero.
INTISARI
Aliyah. Himatul. 2016. Oscar’sTragedy in Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Sastra Inggris. Fakultas Adab dan Humaniora. Universitas Islam Negri Sunan Ampel Surabaya.
Dosen Pembimbing : Sufi Ikrima Sa’adah, M. Hum
Skripsi ini berjudul Oscar Tragedy in Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar
Wao yang berfokus pada archetypal criticism yang digambarkan dalam karakter utama. Skripsi ini mengaplikasikan dua teori, new criticism dan archetypal criticism. Sumber data utama dalam skripsi ini adalah novel yang berjudul The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao dari Junot Diaz. Data diambil dari novel dalam bentuk narasi dan dialog. Penelitian ini menggunakan teori dan konsep archetypal criticism oleh Aristotle yang berfokus pada tragedi dalam mytos of fall, bagaimana cerita dalam novel dapat diklasifikasikan sebagai tragedi, dan karakter utama, Oscar sebagai sosok tragic hero dan didukung oleh beberapa teori lain untuk menyelesaikan analisis. Analisis dalam skripsi ini dibagi menjadi dua bagian. Yang pertama menggambarkan tragedi dalam hidup Oscar. Dan yang kedua menjelaskan bagaimana tragedi itu menyebabkan Oscar menjadi seorang tragic hero. Setelah menganalisis data, jelas bahwa Oscar menjadi tragic hero. Dia mengalami kematian karena tindakannya, dan itu membuat dia menjadi seorang tragic hero.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Inside Cover Page ... i
Inside Title Page ... ii
Declaration Page ... iii
Thesis Advisor’s Approval Page ... iv
Thesis Examiner’s Approval Page ... v
Motto ... vi
1.4Scope and Limitation of The Study ... 4
1.5Significance of The Study ... 4
2.1.2 Archetypal Criticism . ... 11
2.1.2.1Concept of Tragedy ... 14
2.1.2.1.1 Character ... 14
2.1.2.1.2 Plot ... 16
2.1.2.1.3 Though ... 18
2.2 Previous Studies ... 18
CHAPTER III ANALYSIS 3.1Tragedy in Oscar Life ... 21
3.1.1 Character ... 22
3.1.2 Plot ... 27
3.1.2.1Beginning ... 28
3.1.2.2Middle ... 37
3.1.2.3Ending ... 48
3.1.3 Though ... 50
CHAPTER IV CONCLUTION ... 52
WORKS CITED ... 55
APPENDIX SYNOPSIS ... 58
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of The Study
Literature has a dual function, that is entertaining and at the same time giving benefit to readers. Literature entertains by presenting the beauty; give meaning to life and the means to convey the message about the truth, about what is good and bad. So we can get the touch of our life through literature (Wellek, Warren 15). Wellek and Warren also state that literature is the art of written works(15).Literature uses typical language literature which is different with colloquial language or the language of science.
Wellek and Warren stated that there are three genres of literary work,which are originated from lyrics,epic and drama. As lliterary genre developed,lyric developed into poetry,epic developed into prose and only drama has retained its own
name(25).Novel as a genre of fiction can be defined as: “a work of prose fiction,
usually an extended narrative that tells a story or uses incidents to dramatize human
experience and individual characters” (Grambs 93). Novel represents human
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the novel focused on main character. It will discuss about the character who undergoes tragedy that the main character becomes tragic hero.
A hero is someone who stands out from others; someone is distinguished by
prominence, bravery or kindness. Aristotle said that, “ A man cannot become a hero
until he can see the root of his own downfall.” (in Charles 173). It should be noted
that the hero’s downfall is his own fault as a result of his own free choice. Usually
his death is seen as a waste of human potential and is not a pure loss. In this case, tragic hero is main character or protagonist in a tragedy.
One of literary works that presents tragic hero is Junot Diaz’s The Brief
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. JunotDíaz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. He is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, PEN/Malamud Award, Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and PEN/O. Henry Award. A graduate of Rutgers College, Díaz is currently the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (www.amazon.com).
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Dominican male. The Dominican male is characterized as having power and charm,
and is physically attractive, sexuality active, and violent. Oscar’s lack of “G” is
central to the novel; his goal throughout the novel is to have woman return his affection. Oscar also lacks the ability and the desire to fight or commit violence of any nature. He was only interested in video games, novels and science fiction films, but that does not mean Oscar does not like women. In fact, instead of the whole hobby that makes him increasingly away from social interaction and his friends, he has one simple yet powerful desire, and he continues to save it to adulthood: he wants to have a love, he wants to get love, and he wants to be loved. Unfortunately, the curse that flows in his family seems to flow well in his blood. Oscar lost his first love when he was 7 years old in a way that is painful, and since then, he never had a girlfriend, although he has tried thousands of ways.
Based on the discussion above, the writer wants to study about tragedy and tragic hero in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The topic is analyzed through its plot. By using Archetypal Approach it will be easier to understand how the tragedy is built through the plot. Also the tragic hero, Oscar Wao, can be known through the relation of plot sequences.
1.2 Problems of The Study
Based on the background of the study aboves the problems in this research are formulated in the following:
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b. How does the tragedy lead Oscar to be tragic hero in presentedThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz?
1.3 Objectives of The Study
Based on problems of study, this study tries to answer the questions mentioned in the story. Which are mentioned as following:
a. To describe Oscar’s tragedy presented in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz.
b. To portray the way the tragedy leads Oscar to be tragic hero presented in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
1.4 Scope and Limitation of The Study
In order to make an easy road to explore the content of the novel, also give clear idea on what subject deals in the novel, the study limits the represented characters in the novel. The study focuses only on the tragedy, how the story can be classified as a tragedy and the main character, Oscar as the figure of tragic hero.
In this case, the novel is classified to describe Oscar tragedy. The study discusses about the plot or scene in the play which show requirement of tragedy. And the analysis will lead how the tragedy in this novel makes Oscar the figure of tragic hero since he chooses to die then to live without having any reputation. 1.5 Significance of The Study
This study expects to give constribution to the study of literature. Even though,
this is not the first thesis of literature working on Junot Diaz’s works, it is expected
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Besides the tragic hero, there are still many themes and issues can be explored through this novel. In this occasion, the readers who are interested to use this novel as a data source are invited to explore more deeply in further researches.
1.6 Research Method
This chapter is presented to give a clear a picture of what the researcher is going to do in this study, especially in analyzing tragedy in novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. This part describes the methodology used in this study.
1.6.1 Research Design
This study employs qualitative research method, because the data cannot be show by numbers. Endaswara (4) states that qualitative research is conducted without numbers, but it prefers the concept of appreciation of the interactions being studied empirically. Therefore, the researcher concludes that literary work is most suitable researched using by qualitative approach.
This study uses descriptive library study, applying the way to collect the data and describe tragedy faced by main character in novel of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.
1.6.2 Data and Data Source
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In this case, the writer merely uses the novel of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz as the primary data sources. It means that the writer analyze the character briefly. Here, the writer uses other sources outside the novel that are closed with the subject and it can support the primary data, such as
biography book, text book, other thesis, and internet source. 1.6.3 Data Collection
In this study, the writer observed all of data dealing with the tragedy by reading the novel to get understanding about the content then identifiedd and chose the data that have any relation with the statement of problem. There are some steps of collecting data, they are as follows:
a. Reading and understanding the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz.
b. Choosing and electing the data dealing with each question in statement of the problems.
c. Collecting the data that are in relation with the problem. 1.6.4 Data Analysis
This part explains the steps in analyzing the data through the following procedures:
a. Analyzing the tragedy that happen in Oscar’s life
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1.7 Definition of Key Terms
To avoid any different perceptions between the writer and the readers in understanding the study, it is essential to give some definition of key terms used in this study. Here are the key terms explained:
a. Tragedy : An imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and ofa certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artisticornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in theform of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the properpurgation of these
emotions. (Aristotle 16)
b. Tragic hero: Someone who is endowed with a tragic fatal flaw that dooms him to make serious error in judgment, has normally had an extraordinary, often a nearly divine, destiny, almost within his grasp, and the glory of that original vision never quite fades out of tragedy. (Frye 210)
c. Archetypal : An original model or type after which similiar things are pattered; a prototype; an ideal example. (Gillespie 58)
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter explains several important theories related to the research. The first one is theory of new criticism and the second is Aristotle’s archetypal theory. This theory is used to analyze and reveals its story as tragedy. Second is Aristotle’s theory of tragic hero. It was a theory to describes Oscar figure as a hero The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao novel. The concept is used to reveal how Oscar is the tragic hero in the story.
2.1 Theoritical Framework
2.1.1 New Criticism
New Criticism, which dominatedliterary studies from the 1940s through the 1960s, has left a lasting imprint onthe way we read and write about literature. Some of its most important conceptsconcerning the nature and importance of textual evidence—the use ofconcrete, specific examples from the text itself to validate our interpretations—have been incorporated into the way most literary critics today, regardless oftheir theoretical persuasion, support their readings of literature (Tyson 135).
Keats explains that new criticism,incorporating fformalism, focuses on the
relationship between a text’s idea and its form, between what text says and the way it
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vocabulary, working with patterns of sound, imagery, narrative structure, point of view and other techniques on close reading on the text. It emphasized close reading, particularly of poetry, to discover how a work of literature functioned as a self-contained, self-referential aesthetic object. Close reading is examining literature carefully and in detail, line by line, word by word, and to the roots of words (28).
Tyson further explains that new criticism emphasizes that the structure of a work should not be divorced from meaning. New criticism has sometimes been called an objective approach to literature, because it insists that the meaning of the text is
intrinsic and should not be confused with the author’s intentions. The only way we
can know if a given author’s intention or a given reader’s interpretation actually represents the text’smeaning is to carefully examine, or “closely read,” all the
evidence provided by the language of the text itself: its images, symbols, metaphors, rhyme, meter, point of view, setting, characterization, plot, and so forth, which, because they form, or shape, the literary work (137).
Dealing with the elements of the text, this research focuses on the character
and characterization. The plot is used to describe Oscar’s tragedy based on Frye’s
five stages of tragedy. The character and characterization help to find out how Oscar becomes the tragic hero.
2.1.1.1 Character
Characters is the most important part of a story. Every story has characters.
Abrams stated that, “Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative
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dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say the dialogue and by what
they do the action” (20).
Although characters are not real people, realized or not, they drawn from life. A character is a reasonable facsimile of a human being. As stated by Jacobs, in a fiction a character may be defined as a verbal representation of a human being. Through action, speech description, and commentary, authors portray characters that are worth caring about, rooting for, and even loving, although there are also characters may be laughed at, dislike, or even hated (131).
In accordance to the previous statement, E.M. Foster argues that as a representation of human being, characters of course have all the good and the bad traits of being human. A trait is a quality of mind or habitual mode of behavior. It is considered important to begin studying characters by determining their traits first, for each character may have different traits. Sometimes, of course, the traits we
encounter are minor and therefore negligible. But often a trait is a person’s primary characteristic (not only in fiction but also in life) (75). Thus, Abrams says that characters may be ambitious or lazy, serene or anxious, aggressive or fearful, thoughtful or inconsiderate, open or secretive, confident or self-doubting, kind or cruel, quite of noisy, visionary or practical, careful or careless, impartial or biased,
straightforward or underhanded, ‘winners’ or ‘losers’, and so on (32).
2.1.1.2 Characterization
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created (105). From those distinctions, characterization as a method and character is the product. From that theory we can conclude that characterization is a method used by the author in developing his story and character is the product of the story.
Characters are all the product of characterizations that have been made. The kinds of conversation they have, the things they do, their appearance and so on are the
particular ways in which the author has chosen to characterize his or her character. Kennedy explains that there are five ways authors can choose to present their character in a novel. They are actions, description, dramatic statement and thoughts, statement by other characters, and statement by the author speaking as story teller or observer (135).
2.1.2 Archetypal Criticism
Archetypal criticism is a literary criticism, which believes that there is a realm of human experience expressed in many myths and fantasy stories that goes deeper than any rational or intellectual thinking. This criticism believes the great literature that has proved to be of enduring appeal to humans over the centuries that is the literature that best reveals and expresses this magical realms. The job of archetypal criticism is to identify those mythic elements that give a work of literarture this deeper resonance (Gillespie 58).
Archetypal criticism has many benefits. It’s an approach that gives reader
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myth is a “structural organizing principle of literary form” (341) and that an archetype is essentially an “element of one’s literary experience” (365).
Frye developed a seasonal scheme of archetypal story genres-the romance associated with the high point of summer, tragedy associated with the fall, bitter irony and satire associated with bleak winter, and comedy associated with spring. Frye idea is that even the form of literary works expresses a mythic dimention (Gillespie 61). Frye, in his book Anatomy of Criticism, indicates the correspondent genres for the four seasons as follows:
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2. The mythos of summer: romance, The conflict however takes place in, or atany rate primarily concerns, our world, which is in the middle,and which
ischaracterized by the cyclical movement of nature.In romance, as in comedy, there seem to be four poles of characterization. Frye associates with the genre of romance. This is the world of adventure, of succesfull quets in which brave, virtuous heroes and beautiful maidens overcome villanious threats to the achievement of their goals.
3. The mythos of fall: tragedy, Like comedy, tragedy is best and most easily studied in drama, but it is not confined to drama, nor to actions that end in disaster. Plays that are usually called or classified with tragedies end in serenity. In Aristotle the hamartia ofthe tragic hero is associated with Aristotle's ethical conception
ofproairesis, or free choice of an end, and Aristotle certainly does tendto think of tragedy as morally, almost physically, intelligible. It hasalready been suggested, however, that the conception of catharsis,which is central toAristotle's view of tragedy, is inconsistent withmoral reductions of it. Pity and terror are moral feelings, and theyare relevant but not attached to the tragic situation.
4. The mythos of winter: irony and satire, The satire typical of this phase may be called the satire of the low norm. It takes for granted a world which is full of anomalies, injustices, follies, and crimes, and yet is permanent and
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2.1.2.1Concept of tragedy
Aristotle defines that tragedy is is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude (10). He adds that tragedy can mean the limitation of action. The action implies the personal agents who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities of both characters and thoughts. A tragedy must have a beginning, middle and end. A beginning is that which does not itself follow anything by casual necessity, but after which something naturally is or comes to be (Pardes 199). A middle is that which follows something as some other thing follows (Harmon 40). Then, an ending is that which itself follows that some other things (Aristotle 21).
According to Aristotle, tragedy has six main elements: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle (scenic effect), and song (music), of which the first two are primary. Most of the Poetics is devoted to analysis of the scope and proper use of these elements, with illustrative examples selected from many tragic dramas,
especially those of Sophocles, although Aeschylus, Euripides, and some playwrights whose works no longer survive are also cited. (16)
As referring to the concept of tragedy by Aristotle, some elements of tragedy are proposed in the following clarifications:
2.1.2.1.1 Character
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sense of "personality", "disposition" (carácter).Character is bound to action, since it determines the possibility of acting inone way or other: choice and intention are its main defining traits. It is notthe whole of the personality, but rather the disposition to act virtuously orotherwise, as manifested in deliberate ethical intention (proaíresis). Thisintention is manifested both through action and speech: thence theimportance of "thought".
Character is the second constituent element of a tragedy. We have already seen some opinions of Aristotle concerning the place of character and its relationship with plot. Character is not clearly defined in the Poetics, but at one point Aristotle says that "character refers to men's qualities". (27)
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2.1.2.1.2 Plot
The term plot can serve as a verb and refer to a character planning future actions in the story (Stoodt 32). Stoodt also emphasizes that plot refers to the sequence of events inside a story which affect other events through the principle of cause and effect. Aristotle considered plot (mythos) as the most important element of drama (Cohen 145). Thus, according to Aristotle in the book of Freeman New
Performance/New Writing (119), says thatplot must have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the events of the plot must causally relate to one another as being either necessary or probable.
He considers plot as the first and most important element in tragedy, while unity is the chief prerequisite of every good plot. His unity of plot is the one "unity" that Aristotle treats of explicitly at any length in the Poetics. The way he describes the various kinds of plots is well known. (21) A plot is simple, if the action is one and continuous, and if the change of fortune takes place without peripety and
anagnorisis. A complex plot, on the other hand, is built around a peripety or anagnorisis.
Aristotle goes on to discuss the structure of the ideal tragic plot and spends several chapters on its requirements. He says that the plot must be a complete whole
— with a definite beginning, middle, and end — and its length should be such that
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overall unity. Moreover, the plot requires a single central theme in which all the elements are logically related to demonstrate the change in the protagonist's fortunes, with emphasis on the dramatic causation and probability of the events.
The Contents of the Tragic Action
It remains to define those terms which are to serve as the basis of the first
classification, reversal (peripeteia) and recognition (anagnorisis ). To them we might add calamity (pathos). This is the key to Aristotle's conception of plot as integrating pleasure and instruction. (22)
The difference between reversal and recognition may seem obscure at first, but becomes clearer when we notice that reversal concerns above all the expectations of the audience, and discovery those of the characters. Besides, reversal is related to the fortune of the characters, and recognition is relative to their identity: there is a
mistaken identity or a double identity in the case of one or several characters, and the discovery unravels the plot.
The Effects of Tragic Action: Catharsis of Pity and Fear
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receiver, in this case the audience of the tragedy. Nor the actual audience, which Aristotle seems to despise at times; rather an abstract audience. The theory of catharsis presupposes that there is an integral connection between some aspects of the structure of the work and the response of the audience. (23)
2.1.2.1.3 Thought
Thought comprises both the rational processes through which characters come to decisions, as represented in the drama, as well as the values put forward in the form of maxims and proverbs (http://www.english.hawaii.edu. As Landa (29), Aristotle is referring to the speech acts ofthe character, the speech acts which are a part of the story, and not to thespeech act of the author, the whole of the work, its ultimate meaning orgeneral effect.
Thought includes all the effects that have to be produced by means of language; among these are proof and refutation, the awakening of emotions such as pity, fear, anger, and the like, and also exaggeration and depreciation. (29) Thought, on the other hand, is found where something is proved to be or not to be, or a general maxim is enunciated.
2.2 Previous Study
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Firstly, Diandra Novita (2012) student of UNESA entitled Junot Diaz Deconstruction of Machismo through Oscar in the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar
Wao. This studies applies both of theory of machismo and deconstruction. The analysis in this thesis is divided into two sections. The first one describes machismo of the main character, Oscar. The purpose of revealing the machismo of the main character is to prove that the main character possesses the machismo. The analysis finds that the machismo characteristics shown by the main character are
aggressiveness and hyper-sexuality. The second section describes the deconstruction of machismo. The analysis finds that the writer of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao tries to purpose a new point of view about machismo. Using under erasure (Sous Rature) method and binary opposition, this study deconstruction the characteristics of machismo; appearance, aggressiveness and hyper-sexuality.
Secondly, research has been conducted by Yosi Nila Natalia (2012) student of UNESA, entitled Oscar’s Inferioruty Complex in Junot Diaz’s the Brief Wondrous
Life of Oscar Wao. The research uses psychoanalytic criticism as the big umbrella. It is also going to use the theory and concept of inferiority complex by Alfred Adler in his Individual Psychology Theory and is supported by some other theories for
completing the analysis. The result is that the inferiority complex of Oscar Wao made by some causes, such as parental attitudes, physical defects, social disadvantages, having different skin color than his peers, being called names like faggot, transvestite, morlock by his peers, feeling ugly and physical weaker compared to his peers, being
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The two previous studies analyzed about The Brief wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz, but the differences are from the theory used. The first research used theory of machismo and deconstraction for analyzing The Brief Wondrous Life Oscar
Wao by Junot Diaz novel. The second research used psychoanalytic criticismtheory and concept of inferiority complex by Alfred Adler in his Individual Psychology Theory for analysis The Brief Wondrous Life Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz novel. While,
this research will used Aristotle’sAristotle’s theory of tragic hero, it was a theory to
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CHAPTER III
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer intends to analyze about Oscar’s life in The Brief
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao through the formal elements of the novel, especially character, tragedy and tragic hero. The first step of the analysis describes Oscar’s
tragedy presented in the novel. The second step of the analysis is explaining the process of the way the tragedy leads Oscar to be tragic hero. In this process of the analysis, the writer takes a look at the formal elements of tragedy and tragic hero which describe from the beginning how the character is created until it changes in the end of the story.
3.1Tragedy in Oscar Life
This part aims to depict the tragedy in The Brief wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The tragedy in this novel was depicted from the story’s plot. As stated in the
background of study, The Brief wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was written by Dominican author Junot Diaz. The story is set in the United States and in the
Dominican Republic. The story relates the character experience of being Dominican in both places. The Brief wondrous Life of Oscar Wao won pulitzer price for fiction in 2008.
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can be called as tragedy if the story comply the pattern of tragedy itself. According to Aristotle, there are six elements of tragedy, but in analyzing this thesis, the writer focuses on plot, character and though than the other aspects.
3.1.1 Character
Oscar was not born in into a noble family, Oscar certainly possessed noble characteristics. Oscar is Dominican. He is a cassanova, kindergarden student who always tries to kiss girl. Because at the time he is a normal Dominican boy who grows up in a typical Dominican family. Many girls fall in love with him. Girlfriends of his sister, friends of his mother even their neighbours, who had been thirty years old. That is the golden age of Oscar, a period which reach the peak of perfection: “Because in those days he was (still) a “normal” Dominican boy raised in a “typical”
Dominican family, his nascent pimp-liness was encouraged by blood and friends alike.” (11)
This quotation describes that this is the golden age of Oscar. Though he was not born from noble family, but he has good characteristic and physical. He is a Dominican male who was born in a Dominican family.
Then he becomes fat, never wants to get exercise and eats a lot. Oscar
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Oscar learns in high school Don Bosco Tech, a special school for Catholic children. He is never appreciated there. No one wants to be his friends, no woman wants to date with him. However, Oscar remains good on them, he is silent when they mock or shame him: “High school was Don Bosco Tech, and since Don Bosco Tech
was an urban all-boys Catholic school packed to the strakes with a couple hundred insecure hyperactive adolescents, ...” (19)
After graduating from Don Bosco, he was accepted at Rutger New Brunswick college. Her mother gives him first kiss, his family love him so much, expecially his mother and his sister: “In September he headed to Rutgers New Brunswick, his
mother gave him a hundred dollars and his first kiss in five years, ...” (49) After
graduation, Oscar returned to his home. He becomes a subtitute teachers in Don Bosco. Then he becomes a teacher of English and history: “And if he’d thought Don
Bosco had been the moronic inferno when he was young—try now that he was older and teaching English and history.” (264) He also begins sending his stories and his
novels, but no one is interested. When he has high spirit, he sets up a scientific fiction and fantasia club, but for two weeks there is no student who is interested for joining.
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books, locked the room, and walked down those same halls, alone, his footsteps sounding strangely dainty. (265)
As the previous explanation, it describes that Oscar gets good education. Don Bosco Tech, the school for Chatolic children. After graduating, he continues his education in Rutger New Brunswick university. He writes fiction and science books. He has good education is nobility and high status position.
The complication in this story begins when Oscar becomes fatter. Actually Oscar’s family especially his mother and his sister, Lola, always gives him the best
advice. His mother asked him to change his style, cut his hair, take off the glasses, do exercise, throw porno magazine: “Cut the hair, lose the glasses, exercise. And get rid
of those porn magazines.” (25) However, Oscar had never really done it. He tries to
do exercise, sit up and jogging in the morning, but he just did it for a moment. After watching the other boys with his girl friend, it makes him hopeless. He then goes back to his old habit, eating many foods, reading Penthouse magazine, designing dungeons and pitying himself.
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In this action, Oscar tries to defeat the curse. He tries to change his style and his behavior. But all of his effort is useless when he meets the other boys dating with their girlfriend. He feels despair and makes his effort failed.
However, during the following week he sees himself in the mirror without flincing. Finally he decided to change his style. He went to the barber shop to cut his hair and shear off his mustache. He also takes off his glasses and buys contact lens with the money he was making at the lumberyard and brush up on his Dominica style.
Spent a week looking at himself in the mirror, turning every which way, taking stock, not flinching, and decided at last to be like Roberto Durán: No más. That Sunday he went to Chucho’s and had the barber shave his Puerto
Rican ’fro off. (Wait a minute, Chucho’s partner said. You’re Dominican?)
Oscar lost the mustache next, and then the glasses, bought contacts with the money he was making at the lumberyard and tried to polish up what remained of his Dominicanness, ... (30)
That summer his mother sent Oscar and Lola to Santo Domingo, at this time he did not refuse like he used to in the past: “That summer his mother sent him and his sister to Santo Domingo, and this time he didn’t fight it like he had in the recent
past.” (30) He has changed. He really wants to be an author. At the summer, he writes
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always hears about the family curse thousand times, he is never incorporating it into his fiction.
He wrote two books that summer about a young man fighting mutants at the end of the world (neither of them survive). Took crazy amounts of field notes too, names of things he intended to later adapt for science-fictional and fantastic purposes. (Heard about the family curse for like the thousandth time but strangely enough didn’t think it worth incorporating into his fiction ... (32)
The quotation describes that Oscar has really changed his physical. To entertain himself he tries to write some fiction books. He changes his behavior from reading novel to write the fiction book. By writing fiction book, it can make him get more spirit.
After Oscar comes back to Paterson, he hung out and saw movies with Al and Miggs, his close friends. But their friendship is not as good as before Oscar went to Santo Domingo. Oscar listened to their messages on the machine and hold himself to meet them. He just meet them once or twice in a week. Formerly, when his friend hurt him or betray his reliance, Oscar is never angry because of fear of loneliness, but not this time.
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and loneliness, something he’d always hated himself for, but not this time.
(33)
His change to be more distinct to his friend also explains his effort. He changes the way he thinks to his friends. At the beginning he is affraid to lose his friend, but he changes to become more brave to fight his friend when they are angry or betray him. He does not depend on his friend.
The explanation above explains that Oscar does many efforts to defeat his curse. In the beginning he just changes his physical, then he changes his behavior, tries to write fiction book and to be more distinct to his friends. All of those effort is his gains to defeat his curse, fuku. He tries many effort to defeat the fuku.
That is all about the description of Oscar’s family. They live in Santo
Dominingo, where all of family get the curse, called fuku. Every family has different fuku. It has been fate for all people in Santo Dominingo and the curse cannot be losed until the following generation. It is appropiate as Frye’s encroachment that hero gets the myth of birth.
3.1.2 Plot
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3.1.2.1Beginning
In this story, Oscar as a main character makes a mistake when he is doing affair with Maritza. At that time, Oscar seems to be in his golden age. There are many girls who want to be his girlfriend because many girls loved him. He dates with Maritza and Olga at the same time. Maritza is abeautiful long haired girl and she roles as the antagonist in the novel. On the other hand, Olga is an ugly, dirty girl and has no relatives in her life. She is poor and often drinks beer, thus Oscar’s mother complains her bad behavior.
It truly was a Golden Age for Oscar, one that reached its apotheosis in the fall of his seventh year, when he had two little girlfriends at the same time, his first and only ménage à trois. With Maritza Chacón and Olga Polanco. (13)
Because Oscar at that time has good charisma and inner beauty, there are many girls who want to be his girlfriend. Generally, someone who is loved by many people has good characteristic and good physical feature. In this story, Oscar has it all, thus he is loved by many girls.
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He broke up with Olga the following day on the playground, Maritza at his side, and how Olga had cried! Shaking like a rag in her hand-me-downs and in the shoes that were four sizes too big! Snots pouring out her nose and everything! (15)
Many years later, Oscar could not resist the guilty feeling when he saw Olga become overweight girl: “In later years, after he and Olga had both turned into
overweight freaks, “ (15) It is harder for him when Maritza finally betrays him. He
saw Maritza holding hands with Nelson Prado. They pass in front of Oscar but Maritza could not smile at him. Instead she said she wanted to get married to Helson. Oscar felt very hurt. He was crying.
What had hurt, however, was when Maritza dumped him. Monday after he’d fed
Olga to the dogs he arrived at the bus stop with his beloved Planet of the Apes lunch box only to discover beautiful Maritza holding hands with butt-ugly Nelson Pardo. Nelson Pardo who looked like Chaka from Land of the Lost ! Nelson Pardo who was so stupid he thought themoon was a stain that God had forgotten to clean. (16)
This quotation gives an explanation that Oscar undergoes the encroachment in this phase. This is evident when Maritza left her with another boy. The consequence of it, Oscar gets depression. As Frye’s statement that Oscar’s mistakes make “fall”,
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chooses Maritza as his lover. He unconciusly makes wrong decision, because after that the girl that he loves unfortunately has an affair with the other guy. It reflects that Oscar as the hero in this tragedy makes unconscious mistake.
After being dumped by Maritza, Oscar becomes an anomaly among the youth Dominicana. He becomes fat, has minus eyes, curly hair and does not have an interesting face. He is more distant from the association with his social life and friends: “Had none of the Higher Powers of your typical Dominican male,
couldn’t have pulled a girl if his life depended on it.” (19)
Oscar’s physical appearance describes his difference with the usual Dominican
male. He did not like Dominican male, who can get girlfriend easily, has full power, be the subject of people’s talk, and makes girls keep surrounding him.
... in a Dominican family: dude was supposed to have Atomic Level G, was supposed to be pulling in the bitches with both hands. Everybody noticed his lack of game and because they were Dominican everybody talked about it. (24)
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in Oscar’s life the curse has been ruling the life of his sister, mother, grandmother and
his grandfather.
People say fuku came from Afrika, that it was the death bane of the Tainos, that is devils that possessed the world through the nightmare unfolding in the Antilles Island.
They say it came first from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation through the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles. (1)
In those period, fuku was closely related to the Dictator for life Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina. Noone knows whether Trujillo was the Curse’s servant or its master,
he is agent or leader: “But in those elder days, fukú had it good; it even had a
hypeman of sorts, a high priest, you could say. Our then dictator-for-life Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina.” (2) Dominican people believe that anyone who is against
Trujillo will have fuku rulling his life until the next seven generation: ”It was
believed, even in educated circles, that anyone who plotted against Trujillo would incur a fukú most powerful, down to the seventh generation and beyond.” (3)
It is stated that every people in Santo Domingo (the capital and the largest city in Dominicana Republic) have fuku’s stories circulating in their family. In this occasion,
Oscar’s family gets fuku, his grandmother, his mother and his sister. His mother
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she is not like Dominican girl, who is beautiful, long haired and sexy. His sister has bad physical traits. She is not beautiful and short haired. She has no physical as good as her mother. And Oscar gets fuku the same as his sister, he is not like any
Dominican male.
Oscar’s reversal begins when Oscar falls in love with Anna, his friend on SAT
prep class: “Oscar fell in love with a girl in his SAT prep class.” (33) Her name was Ana Obregon, she is beautiful, had beautiful Carribean girl eyes, pure anthracite, fat and fussy. They got into the habit of talking on the phone in a week. The first time Ana called him, she offered to pick him up. After a long time they become closer and often go dating and watching movies.
Ana was a talker, had beautiful Caribbean-girl eyes, pure anthracite, and was the sort of heavy that almost every Island nigger dug, a body that you just knew would look good in and out of clothes; wasn’t shy about her weight, either; ... (3)
Based on quotation above, Oscar falls in love with a girl, named Anna. Oscar thinks that if he can get girlfriend, which means he can change his curse, he can beat the fuku. She always picks him up to get dating. However, Anna never tells him about her feeling, but Oscar believes that Anna has some feeling with Oscar.
Unexpectedly, In April Anna’s boyfriend, Manny returned from the Army. His
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army—Ana told him during one of their trips to the Yaohan Mall. His sudden appearance, and Ana’s joy over it, shattered the hopes Oscar had cultivated.” (41)
It shows that at the beginning, Oscar does not know about Anna’s boyfriend.
Oscar has big wish that Anna also loves him. But when Anna’s boyfriend comes,
suddenly all of the wishes are gone. However, Oscar still defeats for his love. He believes that he can make Anna become his girlfriend. He loves Anna very much. Every Dominican family has stories about crazy love and Oscar’s family was not
different, started from his grandmother, mother, sister, and now Oscar gets his turn.
Everything then changed quickly. Anna is seldom at home. It makes Oscar always left a message on her answering machine: “Things changed quickly. First off,
Ana stopped being home all the time, and Oscar found himself stacking messages on her machine.” (41) After that, Anna meets him again and everything seems to be fine. But the next day she will do the same thing: “She always got back to him after a
couple of days, and was pleasant about it, but still.” (42) Then Anna cancels their
appointment on Friday three times. Anna just meets Oscar on Sunday after coming from the church. When Anna picks him up, Anna invites him to see the skyline of Manhattan on the Boulevard East.
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Boulevard East and park and together they’d stare out over the Manhattan
skyline. (42)
In this quotation, it describes that Oscar fells down when Anna comes back to Manny. Oscar knows that Anna has relationship with Manny. It makes Oscar’s expectation down. Though Oscar knows about it, he still loves Anna and he still fights for his love. Oscar’s sister has reminded him to avoid Anna, because it will
make him down, but Oscar never listens to his sister. Lola, Oscar’s sister, knows that Anna already has a boyfriend. She asks Oscar to avoid Anna for a while, but Oscar does not care the advise. He even gets a chance to meet Manny. He meets Manny outside Anna’s house.: “So she has a boyfriend? Lola asked him suddenly. Yes, he
said. You should back off for a little while.” (43)
One day Anna comes to Oscar’s house with bruised face and broken blouse. Oscar gives advise to Anna to break Manny, but Anna refuses, she loves him so much: “And one day she arrived at Oscar’s house with a bruise on her face and with her blouse torn, ...” (44) One night also Oscar hears Anna’s crying on the telephone
about Manny’s violence treatment. Oscar then hung up and goes to the church to
eliminate the desperation: “He got so bad that one desperate night, after listening to Ana sobbing to him on the phone about Manny’s latest bullshit, he said, I have to go
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In this quotation above, Oscar knows that his expectation is mistaken. He knows that he cannot get Anna to be his girlfriend. Whatever he did, Anna still chooses Manny. He tries to forget Anna. He knows that his expectation to beat the fuku is mistaken. Whatever he did, his fuku keeps ruling his life and prevents him to have a true love.
On June, Oscar graduates from Don Bosco (Oscar’s senior high school). Lola is
very happy, her face is very radiant. On September, Oscar goes to Rutgers New Brunswick (name of college): ”In September he headed to Rutgers New
Brunswick,...” (49) Oscar thinks that in the college he can get a free life, be
autonomous and optimism that he will find someone who likes him. Unfortunately his hope does not come true. Seeing his black skin and his afro hair, white students do not believe that he is a Dominican. After a party, Oscar gets much bad treatment from the white students, there are no girls who look at him, he feels that his optimism faded.
The white kids looked at his black skin and his afro and treated him with inhuman cheeriness. The kids of color, upon hearing him speak and seeing him move his body, shook their heads. You’re not Dominican. And he said, over and
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This quotation implies that Oscar has expectation to get better life. In the college, he thinks that if he can get friend or girlfriend, it will change his life and help him to lost his depresion. Unfortunately, no one wants to become his friend, no girls want to become his girlfriend. Thus, this action describes that his expectation to get better life is mistaken.
Although having vowed to change his lifestyle, Oscar still loves his scientific books, still eats a lot, still does not do exercise, continues to use big words and has no friends except his sister: “Despite swearing early on to change his nerdly ways, he
continued to eat, continued not to exercise, continued to use flash words, and after a couple semesters without any friends but his sister, “ (50) He joins gaming
enthusiasts. The meeting is hold in the lower classes and all of the member is men: “he joined the university’s resident geek organization, RU Gamers, which met in the
classrooms beneath Frelinghuysen and boasted an entirely male membership.” (50)
In that sentence, it explains that Oscar’s expectation to defeat the fuku is
mistaken. Though he promises himself to change his style and his bad habits, because of his depresion, he returns to his previous lifestyle.
Toward those descriptions, it may assume that Oscar’s expectation to defeat
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3.1.2.2Middle
The middle of plot begins when Oscar lives in Abuela’s home. He is falling in love with a prostitute. Her name is Ybon Pimentel. Oscar considers his relationship with her as the start of his real life: “Her name was Ybón Pimentel. Oscar considered
her the start of his real life.” (279) Ybon lives in two houses apart from Oscar’s home. She is a newcomer in Mirador Horte. She is one of golden mulatas. She has long wavy thick hair, copper colored eyes, with white skin: “She was one of those
golden mulatas that French-speaking Caribbeans call chabines, that my boys call chicas de oro; she had snarled, apocalyptic hair, copper eyes, and was one whiteskinned relative away from jaba.” (279)
Twice Oscar meets her, she always smiles at Oscar. And the third time they meet again, they look at each other. Ybon sits at Oscar’s table. Ybon greets him, she talks to him.
The two times Oscar bumped into her—during breaks in his writing he would go for walks along the hot, bland cul-de-sacs, or sit at the local café—she smiled at
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In the next day, Oscar passes Ybon in front of her house, Ybon greets him using English. Ybon opens the gate and let him come into her home. They talk a lot of things, everything. Ybon is a woman who is very unique. She is fussy, makes all of men feel relaxed when near her: “Ybón was an odd odd bird. She might have been talkative, the sort of easygoing woman a brother can relax around, ...” (281)
This quotations gives evidence that Oscar is in love. His mother and his grandmother do not like it, because Ybon is a prostitute. Moreover his mother will find a better girl than Ybon. But as usual, Oscar does not care about anything that is said by his family. He still loves Ybon.
His mother and his abuela met him at the door; excuse the stereotype, but both had their hair in rolos and couldn’t believe his sinvergüencería. Do you know that woman’s a PUTA? Do you know she bought that house CULEANDO? (282)
In the morning Oscar walks to Ybon house. A red jeep parks outside, A Polocia Nacional Plate. He sees Ybon making out with a man. Oscar just stands in front of Ybon’s house: “The next day at one he pulled on a clean chacabana and strolled over
to her house. (Well, he sort of trotted.) A red Jeep was parked outside, nose to nose with her Pathfinder. A Policía Nacional plate.” (284) his expectations are down. Though it does no make Oscar feels curred. The next day he is still back to Ybon’s
home, he hides his devastation: “trying not to sound as miserable as he felt.” (284)
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and then took down her photo albums from the closet and showed him all the pictures of herself, ...” (286) Oscar feels intoxicated, he stops writing and go toYbon’s home
everyday: “How lovesick he became! He stopped writing and began to go over to her
house nearly every day, ...” (286)
This quotation gives an explanation that Oscar knows that Ybon has boyfriend. Although he fells down, he still goes back to Ybon. Moreover, Oscar stops writing, in his mind is just Ybon. Every day Oscar meets Ybon. They talk about everything and it makes Oscar believes that Ybon has the same feeling with him. Ybon tells him about her two sons, Sterling and Perfecto, who live in their grandparent’s home in Puerto Rico. Ybon just sees them only on holidays: “Ybón told him about her two
sons, Sterling and Perfecto, who lived with their grandparents in Puerto Rico, whom she saw only on holidays.” (287) She also talks to him about her Dominican
boyfriend, the Capitain, and her foreign boyfriend; the Italian, The German and the Canadian, who visit her in different months: “She told him about her Dominican
boyfriend, the capitán, and her foreign boyfriends: the Italian, the German, and the Canadian, the three benditos, how they each visited her on different months.” (287)
In the beginning of August, Ybon starts to talk about his boyfriend, the capitan, whom is very jealous with Oscar. He wants to meet Oscar: “At the beginning of
August, Ybón started mentioning her boyfriend, the capitán, a lot more. Seems he’d heard about Oscar and wanted to meet him. He’s really jealous, Ybón said rather
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gets his first kiss from Ybon. This night has been late, Ybon lost her consciousness again because of beer: “Ybón had passed out again, ... “ (293)
Based on quotation above, it shows that Oscar begins to get his fall. The Capitan feels jealous when he knows that Oscar always meets Ybon. Oscar meets the Capitan. He will get big problem.Oscar follows Clives by Pathfinder. Suddenly there are two polices in front of them. They let Clives to pass, but stop Oscar and ask him to go out. Oscar is very frightened, but at the same time, Ybon sits and looks at Oscar softly, Ybon begins to kiss Oscar. Oscar is shocked and just silent. The two policemen, Gord and Grundy shine into their car. Behind the policemen there is someone who sees the scene in the car, he is the capitan, Ybon’s boyfriend.
But then he realized that the two plainclothes who had pulled them over—who both looked like they’d been raised on high-G planets, and whom we’ll call Solomon Grundy and Gorilla Grod for simplicity’s sake— were beaming their
flashlights into the car. And who was standing behind them, looking in on the scene inside the car with an expression of sheer murder? Why, the capitán of course. Ybón’s boyfriend! (294)
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car. Oscar is hit several times. Breath knocked and painful. Grundy and Grod lift him and then push into the camry and drive. He tries to jump out, but Grod nudges him hradly: “He tried to jump out of the car but Gorilla Grod elbowed him so hard that all
the fight jumped clean out of him.” (296) Oscar sees the capitain drag Ybon of Pathfinder by tufting her hair: “Oscar’s last sight of Ybón? The capitán dragging her
out of the Pathfinder cabin by her hair.” (296)
After driving for a long time, finally they stop in the sugar cane fields. Grod and Grundy drag Oscar out of the car. Because their flashlight batteries is dead, they drive back to a colmado for buying batteries and then drive back.
They drove for a long time, and then finally, abruptly, they stopped. At the canefields Messrs. Grod and Grundy pulled Oscar out of the car. They opened the trunk but the batteries were dead in the flashlight so they had to drive back to a colmado, buy the batteries, and then drive back. (297)
The two policemen come back, with the light on, they heard Oscar from the field. They ask him to stop and turn around. He scream for help. Gord hit Oscar’s head
hardly with the butt of his pistol, “... Grod struck him once hard in the head with the butt of his pistol.” (298) Oscar for a moment gets his strength, he moves his leg to
turn around and run, but the policemen start beating him with their pistols again: “For
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legs and was about to turn and run but then they both started whaling on him with their pistols.” (298)
This quotation explains that the hero, Oscar gets his fall. He gets a mistreatment from Grod and Grundy. This moment shows his fall to the deepest calamity. Grod hits Oscar’s head with his pistol. Oscar screams, but his screaming does not stop
them, he faints, but it also does not relieve his suffering. They kick his genitals, in order that he regained his conciousness. He tries to crawl to the cane fields, but they drag him back.
He shrieked, but it didn’t stop the beating; he begged, and that didn’t stop it,
either; he blacked out, but that was no relief; the niggers kicked him in the nuts and perked him right up! He tried to drag himself into the cane, but they pulled him back! (299)
They take turns hitting him, but sometimes they hit together. Oscar feels that he is being beaten by three people, the faceless man who is in front of colmando that join them.
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This quotation describes that Oscar get bad things. Oscar falls to death. Clives, the taxi driver who have smart brains and have courage follows the police quietly: “...
Clives the evangelical taxista had had the guts, and the smarts, and yes, the goodness, follow the cops on the sly ... “ (299) He does not have a flashlight. For hours he walks
the sugar cane field to seek Oscar. Finally he finds Oscar stretched, unconcious and bleeding out of both ears and looking like he will die: “Unconscious and bleeding out
of both ears and looking like he was one finger tap away from dead.” (300)
Clives is not able to drag Oscar’s body in the car alone: “Clives tried his best but
he couldn’t drag Oscar back to the car alone, so he left him where he was—Just hold on!” (300) Then he left Oscar in the place and immediately seeks for help. He goes
to a nearby batey, then takes three porters to help him. They raise Oscar to the
backseat. The door is closed, Clives immediately takes off as fast as possible: “... and then they heaved him into the backseat. As soon as the door shut, Clives popped his car into gear and was off. Driving fast in the name of the Lord.” (300)
In this quotation, it explains that Oscar still gets his luck. Clives saves him, however Oscar gets bad condition. Oscar suffers a broken nose, fractured cheekbone, the seventh cranial nerve is destroyed, three of his teeth snapp off at the gum and concussion: “Broken nose, shattered zygomatic arch, crushed seventh cranial nerve,
three of his teeth snapped off at the gum, concussion.” (301) Oscar is unconcious for
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When he wakes up for the first time and realizes that he is still alive, he is looking for Ybon: “When he first woke up and realized that he was still alive, he
asked for Ybón.” (303) The doctor recomens that Oscar is brought home quickly. His
mother immediately contacts the airline offices, booking a flight. Oscar opposes all attempts. Oscar gets headaches and his right eye cannot see.
Send him home right now, the doctora said, but for four days Oscar resisted any attempt to pack him up in a plane, which says a lot about this fat kid’s fortitude;
he was eating morphine by the handful and his grill was in agony, he had an around-the-clock quadruple migraine and couldn’t see squat out of his right eye; (303)
It shows that Oscar has a crazy love. Though he got bad experiences, he still wants to meet Ybon. He still has big dream with Ybon. But his mother does not give permission. His mother immediately brings Oscar to go home.Oneday while watching his mother to replace his bed sheets, he thinks that the curse on his family he had ever heard in his life is really true. It is the fuku: “One day while watching his mother tear sheets off the beds it dawned on him that the family curse he’d heard about his whole
life might actually be true.” (303) It shows that Oscar knows that now he is realizing
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Oscar returns home to Paterson. He knows that he had never known love like his love to Ybon: “He returned home.” (306) Oscar tries to escape. He secretly borrows money from his friend, Yunior, Lola’s exboyfriend. He flies back to Santo Domingo.
When he arrives at the airport exit, he immediately calls Clives. An hour later Clives picks him up: “As soon as he hit the airport exit he called Clives and homeboy picked
him up an hour later, found him surrounded by taxistas who were trying to pull him into their cabs.” (315)
This quotation implies that Oscar decides to fight for his love. He knows that it will make him getting bad thing, he does not care about it. In his mind, he just wants Ybon to become his girlfriend. They go to Ybon’s home. Oscar waits for seven hours.
Clives tries to persuade Oscar to cancel his intention, but Oscar does not want to listen.
I’m going to call him, Oscar, she said, misting up a little. So please go before he gets here.
I’m not going anywhere, he said.
Go, she said.
No, he answered. (316)
Ybon pulls up in the Pathfinder. Immediately Oscar roll down the window and call her: “They parked in front of her house and waited almost seven hours before she
returned. Clives tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn’t listen.” (315) Oscar goes
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nonstop. But Oscar does not intend to go out: “He let himself into his abuela’s house
(he still had the key). The capitán showed up an hour later, honked his horn a long time, but Oscar didn’t bother to go out.” (316)
This quotation implies that Oscar never gives up to get his love. He still pursues Ybon. Though his family and Clives stop him, he decides to fight. For seventy days he only does two things, writing and researching. He is is also pursuing Ybon. Ybon is frightened. she does not want to meet Oscar. She suffers everytime when see Oscar, but she will suffer more if she does not meet Oscar. Oscar sents a letter to Ybon, Ybon replies his letter at the club or sent by post to his home.
At first it was pure terror for her. She didn’t want nothing to do with him; she wouldn’t speak to him, wouldn’t acknowledge him, and the first time she saw
him at the club she was so frightened her legs buckled under her. (317)
Lola flies down to see Oscar, begged him to go home, tell that he and Ybon will die: “What could we do? Lola flew down to see him, begged him to come home, told
him that he was only going to get Ybón and himself killed; he listened and then said quietly that she didn’t understand what was at stake.” (319) His mother comes also to
pick Oscar, buthe denies her request. No body cannot persuade him.
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grabbed him and tried to pull, but he was like Unus the Untouchable. Mami, he said softly. You’ll hurt yourself. And you’ll kill yourself. (319)
It implies that Lola has reminded Oscar about the consequence that he and Ybon will get if he still pursues Ybon. But Oscar does not care about it. Then the expected thing happens. One night Oscar and Clives drive back from the World Famous Riverside and they had to stop at a traffic light when two men get into the car with them, of course they are Grod and Grundy. They beat Oscar. At this time Oscar does not cry when they take him to the sugar cane fields. Clives begged them to forgive Oscar, but they just laugh. They leave Clives tied up in the car. He slips into the sugar cane, he delivers Oscar’s family.
And then the expected happened. One night he and Clives were driving back from the World Famous Riverside and they had to stop at a light and that was where two men got into the cab with them. It was, of course, Gorilla Grod and Solomon Grundy. Good to see you again, Grod said, and then they beat him as best they could, given the limited space inside the cab. (320)
In this quotation describes Oscar’s incident when he gets his downfall. Because
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they love each other. How much they bet. Oscar finally goes, goes forever. How he is not a fat child now and neardy. He is a hero.
He told them that what they were doing was wrong, that they were going to take a great love out of the world. Love was a rare thing, easily confused with a million other things, and if anybody knew this to be true it was him. He told them about Ybón and the way he loved her and how much they had risked and that they’d started to dream the same dreams and say the same words. (321)
From the explanation above, we may conclude that what Oscar’s does are the
typical downfall of the hero. He can easily to leave Ybon. He does not hear his family. He still defeats to his love. Finally, he gets his fall, he dies tragicly. It automatically shows his downfall.
3.1.2.3Ending
Oscar’s ending is reflected when Oscar is death. Oscar family flies down to
retrieve Oscar’s remains and take care of his funeral. Noone is coming, even Al and
Miggs do not come. Lola does not stop crying: “We flew down to claim the body.We
arranged the funeral. No one there but us, not even Al and Miggs. Lola crying and crying.” (323)
It shows that Oscar’s death causes many people get sadness, expecially his
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“A year later their mother’s cancer returned and this time it dug in and stayed.”
(323)Four times the family lease a lawyer to seek justice for Oscar’s death, but there
is not any responds. The embassy also does not help, as well as governments.
Four times the family hired lawyers but no charges were ever filed. The embassy didn’t help and neither did the government. Ybón, I hear, is still living in
Mirador Norte, still dancing at the Riverside but La Inca sold the house a year later, moved back to Baní. (323)
Ybon still lives in Mirador Norte, and still dance in the Riverside. La inca sells his house a year later, then returns to the Bani. Oscar’s family does not want to go
back to Paterson. There is not justice for Oscar, though his family has reported his incident.
In August, Lola meets someone at Miami, he moves to the city. She is pregnant and will get married: “And then in, after I got back from a trip to Santo Domingo, I
heard from my mother that Lola had met someone in Miami, which was where she had moved, that she was pregnant and was getting married.” (324) Now Lola is
having long hair and never straightened her hair. She looked fat: ”Lola’s hair is long
now and never straightened; she’s heavier and less guileless, ...” (327)
A l i y a h | 50
From the explanation above, we may conclude that there are many things changed from Oscar family lives, especially his sister, she gets better life. She finds her true love. They leave their city that give them unforgettable memories. But they still remember Oscar, remember all his services, remember all his fighting,
considering him as a hero.
3.1.3 Though
In the simple word, the tragedy must make the audience feels and watch the hero’s action and is moved it to pity and fear. Oscar is a lovely man. He survives and
fights for his love till the end of his life.
Profound consequences for Yunior (the author). In the end of the book, Yunior discusses that “The Incredible Oscar Wao” he was influenced his writing and
his thinking. Oscar motivates Yunior become a new man.
When I’m not teaching or coaching baseball or going to the gym or hanging
out with the wifey I’m at home, writing. These days I write a lot. From can’t
see in the morning to can’t see at night. Learned that from Oscar. I’m a new
man, you see, a new man, a new man. (326)
