In many cultures, including Dominican culture, rigid, binary gender roles have shaped and reinforced the development of a predominantly patriarchal society . Indeed, Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao presents traditional gender expectations of men and women in the Dominican Republic. But the novel also offers a pointed commentary on the ways in which the main characters, members of the De León family, subvert these roles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay A major element of Diaz's novel is the Fukú americanus, also known simply as "fukú" or "curse or misfortune of some kind » which torments the main character Oscar and his family, as well as their entire culture (Diaz 1). Although fukú remains a mystery to the novel's characters, its effects on the De León family indicate that the "curse" can be seen as a patriarchal oppression rooted in both the nation's political system, as well as its foundations. historical and historical. cultural atmosphere. By undermining the gender norms of their male-dominated society, Oscar and his family members act as a "zafa" or "counter-spell" to the curse of fukú which is the central influence of the story of the family (Diaz 7). Throughout the novel, Diaz uses historical information alongside the narrative, as well as the inclusion of some important minor characters, to demonstrate the deeply rooted patriarchal structure evident in Dominican culture. In the preface, the narrator introduces the concept of fukú as "the curse and destiny of the new world" and the "admiral's fukú", which establishes the idea that "the arrival of Europeans in Hispaniola unleashed fukú on the world” (Diaz 1). Diaz attributes this curse, in part, to the colonization of the Dominican Republic, thereby introducing the concept of patriarchy and its institution into the nation. Colonialism and patriarchy are linked by the idea that "women and land are both means of reproduction", meaning that without the ability to dominate land and women, men find themselves in the impossibility of supporting “the existence of a people” (McAlpine 1). . The colonization stage of the Dominican Republic acts as a kind of patriarchy, whose central goal is both "conquest and control", just as patriarchal systems in society dominate and therefore oppress women (Loomba 1101 ). In Oscar Wao, Diaz connects his fictional account with historical and factual details about the Dominican experience under the dictator Rafael Trujillo, whose reign is a continuation of the same type of domination and control that originated with the colonization of the Republic Dominican. Numerous footnotes recount the history of Trujillo's regime; Oscar's own grandfather, Abelard, is tortured after refusing to allow El Jefe to have his "delicious" daughter (Diaz 218). Trujillo is described by the narrator as being "five thousand times worse" than the "average Dominican", due to his objectification of women, particularly regarding the men he hired to "scour the provinces looking for his next piece of ass” ( Díaz 217). As a result of Abelard's refusal to abandon his daughter, he is tortured and imprisoned, a process the narrator calls "an unpaid karmic debt, or something else." (Fukú?)” (Diaz 248). The oppression and misfortune of the nation, and specifically the De León family, under the male-ruled society led by Trujillo, supports the idea that thefukú is a manifestation of the culture's patriarchal ideology. Trujillo's position as a cruel and ruthless dictator, as well as his exploits with women, help him serve as an archetype for many other Dominican men in the novel and also introduce the standards of masculinity for men in Dominican society . Beli, Oscar's mother, and Oscar himself encounter Dominican men who take advantage of women and exert power and control similar to that of Oscar.Trujillo, who aligns himself directly with the traditional male gender role. Based on the nation's history of colonization and dictatorship, the Dominican ideal of "machismo" or hyper-masculinity coincides with "the assertion that sex, gender, and heterosexuality are products historical” ( Caamaño 1, Butler 905). Even the novel's narrator, Yunior, describes himself as "a guy who could weigh 340 pounds" and who has several women in his life at once (Diaz 170). Similarly, Beli's first love, Jack Pujols, is described as having a "physical swagger" but has no respect for it and only uses it for his body (Diaz 89). His next love interest, The Gangster, has a "pimpdaddy style" and allows a pregnant Beli to be beaten by his wife (Diaz 121). The men in the novel are physically attractive and powerful, but are also cowardly, disrespectful, and abusive to the women around them. Oscar encounters this traditional gender norm in the boyfriends of the women he falls in love with, particularly Ana and Ybón. Ana and Ybón are both physically attacked and mistreated by their boyfriends, but choose to stay with them anyway. This choice only further exposes and affirms the success that comes with adhering to existing gender roles defined for Dominican men. Throughout adolescence, Oscar is constantly reminded of the gender expectations he is expected to meet, but his lack of conformity to traditional ideals of masculinity sets him up as a sort of "zafa" in the face of the curse of fuku. Even from a young age, Oscar knows that he is not what a Dominican man is supposed to be, because he has "none of the higher powers of a typical Dominican man; he could not have attracted a girl if her life depended on it…I couldn’t do sports for nothing” and he is “beyond uncoordinated” (Diaz 19). The other men in her life, who live up to these ideals, her uncle and Yunior, reinforce the importance of "gender essentialism" and the danger of "misperforming one's gender", through their efforts to bring Oscar to change his habits by losing weight and abandoning his passion for science fiction (Butler 909). Another way in which Oscar subverts his masculine expectations is in his interactions with women. Rather than being dominant or abusive, he spends time talking and gaining "a certain knowledge of himself and women", rather than seeking the purely sexual gratification that typical Dominican men seek (Diaz 41). Going against society's gender norms, Oscar strongly feels the dire effects of the curse of fukú throughout most of the novel, particularly in his failed attempts at relationships. However, in his relationship with Ybón, he can finally enjoy the "little intimacies" of shared love, thus becoming a zafa by remaining faithful to the honest and respectful love that he values ​​most (Diaz 334). Similarly, Lola De León, Oscar's sister also subverts her expected female gender role in several ways throughout the narrative. Very early on, the reader learns that Lola is very athletic and powerful, and she begins to dress all in black and even "shave her head to the bone, Sinéad style" and convinces everyone..