The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

About the Book

As the title suggests, this novel follows the life of Oscar De Leon, who later earns the nickname “Oscar Wao”. Oscar is a “nerd” rejected by his peers because he loves books and is deemed unattractive because he is overweight. He feels so rejected that even his friends who are also rejected nerds like him reject him. Furthermore, he feels held to a standard set by a Dominican culture that he is supposed be a “lady’s man” who is supposed to be popular. Instead, he is a rejected “nerd”. Oscar suspects that he is rejected because he likes books and sci-fi, but he refuses to give that up because he likes it too much. The story is told mostly through the perspective of Yunior, who is also Dominican, but unlike Oscar, Yunior meets the Dominican standard of being a “lady’s man”. Yunior first comes into Oscar’s life by having sex with his sister, Lola. Yunior considers Lola a very good friend because she is there for him when he is hurt from a fight. To help Lola, he becomes Oscar’s roommate and promises to watch out for him after having a depressive meltdown in the previous semester.

Oscar and Yunior get into many fights because of Yunior’s attempts to reinvent Oscar’s “nerd” ways. Since their fight, Oscar’s behavior in the Demarest dorms becomes more destructive. When he sees a girl that he is interested in having sex with another guy, he destroys her room. He eventually makes a suicide attempt, which concerns Yunior and helps him realize what Oscar has been going through. This helps them form a stronger friendship. They check in on each other and look at each other’s writing. They become roommates again in the Spring, and Yunior tells the story of Oscar’s family throughout the book, including Lola’s complicated relationship with her mother; Beli; and Beli’s life in the Dominican Republic under the Trujillo regime.

Impact

I really enjoyed this book because I related very well Oscar’s character. I know what it is like to be a nerd and to be rejected because of this label. I also know how it feels for the stigma to carry into college and how this stigma can cause depression. In the book, Oscar says that he thought he would experience a different life living on campus in college than he did in high school, but there was not that much of a difference between high school and college. I understand what this is like. I thought my high school life would be totally different from my college life. However, I was still the quiet, shy girl with awkward mannerisms. I was still neglected, which sometimes felt like more of a rejection because I felt like people almost looked at me and scoffed. Even my friends from Camden County College rejected me because of my awkward mannerisms that they knew I had. They knew I had Asperger’s, and I still felt like my awkward mannerisms were appalling to them. Likewise, Oscar also had friends that were repulsed by him because he did not have a girlfriend. I think my favorite thing about this book was how well I related to Oscar. I think Oscar was one of the protagonists I identified with best in any book I have read.

Other than my identification with Oscar, I also liked learning about the Dominican culture when reading this book. I knew a little bit about the Trujillo regime by watching the movie In the Time of the Butterflies in Spanish class in high school, but I did not know too much. I knew he was a terrible dictator that expected the Dominican Republic’s citizens to worship him or have them killed. I also knew that he had women either raped or killed, but I did not know about the wars he fought with other countries. For example, the book talks about Trujillo’s conflict with Fidel Castro in Cuba, which I thought was interesting. The book made me want to learn more about his regime. I also liked Diaz’s use of footnotes to explain the historical context of the book. Unlike textbook footnotes, the footnotes Diaz uses feel like they are still apart of the story by their tone. When he uses the footnotes, it feels like the reader must read them to understand the story better. The footnotes also have a very comical tone; in other words, they are footnotes the reader is not typically used to. For example, while explaining who Trujillo was, the author uses the term “fuckface” to describe him and goes on a funny rant explaining how terrible he is. In other words, the footnotes give the story a comical element rather than using them simply as informational blurbs.

Values

This book teaches the importance of accepting oneself and being oneself despite what others think one should be. Although Oscar is rejected by his peers, he refuses to stop liking or participating in reading books and like sci-fi. He cannot find it in himself to stop liking what makes him who he is. Nobody can be this perfect image of what society expects of him or her. Furthermore, no one can find it in oneself to stop doing what they like or being who they are because it is what makes them who they are. Therefore, it is important that everyone be themselves so they can feel comfortable with themselves. Likewise, this book teaches people that it is important that one accept others the way they are. As I said before, everyone is different and has a different contribution to make to others. Therefore, it is important to accept others for who they are so they can make that contribution. For example, Oscar’s nerdiness has an impact on Yunior and not the person Yunior is trying to make Oscar. The impact Oscar has on Yunior is that it teaches Yunior compassion for others who may not be as “cool” as him. Yunior learns that he cannot change Oscar because the act of trying to change him makes him feel bad about himself. While he is living with Oscar, he realizes that when Oscar tries to commit suicide. This contributes to Yunior’s growth as a person when he realizes what the rejection of who Oscar is as a person actually hurts him, so he learns to accept Oscar for himself.

Not only does this book teach people to accept others for who they are, but it also teaches people the hurt the lack of acceptance can cause others. Oscar makes a suicide attempt because he does not feel accepted by his peers. Suicide attempts do not happen only in books; people not wanting to live because of the lack of acceptance from their peers happens frequently. Therefore, it is important that people learn to accept others for who they are to prevent severe depression or suicide. As I said before, Yunior learns compassion when he learns of Oscar’s attempt at suicide. The book teaches that people should have compassion for others regardless of how they present themselves. In other words, be kind to others because one never knows what another is going through; furthermore, the impact of poor treatment of another person can be severely destructive depending on a person’s mental state.

Significance to My Students

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao teaches students that they should always be themselves no matter what others think of them. In other words, students should be self-confident in their own self-image, and the right people will appreciate the student for oneself. Regardless, the student is unique and they should not try to live up to a standard set by their peers or society. Rather, they should just learn to be who they are because it is the actual person who makes an impact on others and the world rather than who the person “should be” according to standards set by peers or society. Likewise, students should also learn to accept others for who they are. In other words, everyone is different, but we are all human beings nonetheless. We should learn to accept each other despite those differences so that others can feel good about themselves. Otherwise, if people feel bad about themselves, they will feel as if they do not matter in the world because of the lack of acceptance. The lack of acceptance can cause a feeling of depression that can manifest in the person throughout life. Oscar’s feeling of depression caused him to attempt to take his own life; therefore, a lack of self-worth and depression can lead to this consequence of the feeling that someone does not matter in the world, and would be better off dead. Thus, everyone has an impact they can make on the world because of who they are and what they do, and my students should be proud of that impact they make; furthermore, others should allow those students to make that impact on them by accepting them and seeing how these students could contribute to their identity.