Drown

So far we have read two books written by people of a Hispanic descent, first was The House on Mango Street and now Drown.  Like all of the books we’ve read so far, language played a key role in shaping these stories, but for these two books in particular, the use of language served a more important role in establishing the ethnic tone of the book.  Both books used the interchanging of English and Spanish in their text to add a cultural splash to the reading.  While Mango Street made the Spanish words stand out with italics, Drown lets the words settle in regularly with the English text in order to show the fusion of two distinct cultures. 

 

Although the use of interchanging language is important in the style of Drown, even more important is the use of varying diction throughout each story.  I cannot say that I picked up on this variation initially in my reading, but after our interesting class discussion, I couldn’t stop noticing it.  The story these varying tones stand out in the most is “Aurora.”  In this story, Diaz switches immediately between a rough, slang-like diction and a smooth, poetic wording several times.  Phrases like “I want to put my fist in her face” and “feel her soft face on the other side of my fingers” are displayed closely resulting in a conflicting tone. 

 

The juxtaposition of these contradicting styles relates well to conflict of many Hispanic immigrants of that day as well as now.  While the promise of the American dream can be seen as beautiful and enticing, the struggle of attaining that dream can often be harsh; and in some cases, the dream may even be out of reach.