Summary Of Yunior's Short Story 'Drown'

Unlike his father, Yunior who is a second generation American cannot achieve the American Dream because of many obstacles. Among them, family disorganization, poverty, and delinquency are the most relevant obstacles that make Yunior fail to achieve the American Dream that all people can get the chance to succeed and achieve higher levels in the society through hard work and strength of mind. However, the reasons which make Yunior fail to succeed are caused by not only Yunior’s faults but also society. It means both individual problems and social structure can affect the success of individuals. In a short story, “Drown,” Yunior, the narrator and the protagonist of the story, is a high school student. Yunior lives only with his mother in a poor neighborhood, and spends much time with his friend, Beto. He often steals some stuffs from department stores with Beto, drinks and goes to a club with other friends, and …show more content…
After coming to the U.S., Yunior lives with his father, mother, and his other siblings. However, family members are scattered, and in “Drown,” he lives only with his mother. His father lives in Florida with his new girlfriend and calls his wife to come to Florida and live together. In the story, family disorganization is the cause of the whole thing that Yunior has experienced. Since father who can make the most of living expenses does not live together, Yunior suffers from poverty in his teenage years. Also, the absence of father makes Yunior be unable to get out of delinquency. When his father lives together and becomes aware that Yunior keeps shoplifting, he warns that “you’re going to get caught. … When you do I’ll show them everything you’ve taken” (Drown 98). Likewise, family disorganization makes Yunior become poorer and a delinquent teenager. Therefore, if his family is not disorganized, Yunior is more likely to succeed and achieve the American