Thursday, February 12, 2009

Fiesta

Junot Diaz's short story Fiesta provides an insight into the life of a family who has been torn apart by the behavior of an abusive father. At different instances throughout the story, the narrator points out how each member of his family has been hurt by his father's antics. His mother is no longer happy and vibrant, but has become meek. Even his baby sister, cries whenever she hears the her father's voice.

I think that setting the story at a party was a very interesting choice. Even at a time when they should be celebrating and socializing with friends, Papi's affair is weighing heavily on the family. The party serves more as a reminder of what the family should be, as opposed to what they are.

7 comments:

  1. You make a good point about their behavior at the party. There is something not quite right about they behave as a family and it is obvious. His mother and father seem very distant, maybe letting the reader know that she knows exactly what is going on.

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  2. I thought that this was a really interesting story. However, I hadn't noticed all the 'fake-ness' that happened during the party. Thanks for pointing it out!

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  3. First off, thank you for not doing "Girl" as your analysis. It seems like everyone did it and it is nice to see other stories done.
    I didn't even think about how the party could represent how a family should be. That was a really good catch on your part. Opens up a few new thoughts for me on this story.

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  4. I totally agree that the father is an asshole. But I don't think he is pure evil either. Like when he scrounges for spare change at the toll-booth to entertain his baby daughter. He is to blame for the family troubles, but I also get the sense that he's not a total monster.

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  5. The way the story ends with the father holding onto his wife's leg, do you think that they might still possibly feel anything for each other anymore?

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  6. Your last sentence is great.
    Well, it was all good, but I just really loved your last sentence!

    Good job!

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  7. All I have to say is that the father straight pissed me off as well. Regardless of the few nice things he did in the story, the bad outweighs the good. He is having an affair. His children fear him. His wife is worn out and fatigued from the relationship. In the story, we're told from Yunior's perspective that there are a lot of parents dancing and screaming Spanish cries of excitement. Still it is his own Mami and Papi that only dance for one song at a time before the mother returns to Tia to gossip. I especially felt anger toward the father when Yunior was looking at his mother and she smiled at him. There is evident love between the children and the mother, but because of the father's irrational decision making there is no telling how long it will be before the mother discovers his secret. For real though. How is the father about to be an asshole to the kids when they know everything he does with the PR woman?

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