Junot Character Analysis

Great Essays
When empathy faces opposition it becomes very confusing to advance as a society or simply to advance in personal growth. Everything must converge by Flannery O 'connor and Israel by Junot diaz are two examples of this truth. Both of these stories offer consequences to empathy for their main characters which add complexity to depth and development, the difference between the two are the type of empathy being punished , and the cultural climate that leads to this punishment. “For Diaz’s male characters, however, empathy is a dangerous and problematic sentiment… as the novel establishes, empathy brings immediate consequences.” Rio Frio outlines the danger in empathy in the machismo culture, with Julian 's mother, however less authentic her empathy …show more content…
This is probably why she draws so much attention from the reader. In traditional southern gothic style Julian 's mom is a loud, racist, and fundamentally grotesque character, Julian is a less grandiose parallel. Not blatantly racist, one of Julian 's characteristic that he shares with his mother is his lack of empathy. The most important illustration of empathy lacked arrives in Julian 's mom forcing a penny upon Carter. “Here’s a bright new penny for you,” and she held out the coin, which shone bronze in the dim light… Julian saw the black fist swing out with the red pocketbook. He shut his eyes and cringed as he heard the woman shout, “He don 't take nobody’s pennies!” ( everything that rises 9) Flannery O 'connor strikes the reader with the stark contrast between Julian 's mother 's intention and the reality of the situation, the mother is unaware of her insincere form of empathy and is punished for it. From Julian 's mother 's point of view this is a consequence of empathy. Flannery O 'connor puts the american people in spotlight to re evaluate themselves, though the tenets of separate but equal might seem empathetic in practice and actuality they are not. This is not an actual consequence of empathy but it is worth noting julian 's mother might see it this way. The less striking examples of empathy absent occur throughout the story and mostly on their bus ride to the Y. Mother and son, remain completely oblivious to …show more content…
But empathy is closer to the back burner in both contexts. This builds the need for the social commentary in both works. Diaz sheds light on the machismo culture he was raised in; no mater what the situation “If you can’t stop crying ill leave you” (pg13) Rafa tells Yunior blatantly after Yunior is molested on public transportation. No matter what the situation to show any signs of weakness is to elicit disappointment and risk ostracization even from one 's own family. O 'connor Comments on the Separate but equal ideology, commonly seen, in the south at this time, as a concession and compromise with african americans, O 'connor debuffs the idea of Separate but equal being anything beside patronization that America will surely rue. Both stories address how culture subjection can hinder the development of empathy. One question two answers. The story of Ysrael alone does not give the the most optimistic answer at first. Yunior agrees with his brother sucks up his empathy and go down a trail of delinquency and machismo that is not fully rectified until the closing chapters of drown. But it is rectified. The rest of the stories are a bit beyond the scope of Ysreal, but it is important to take into account the context for Ysreal, which is the beginning in a series of stories which ends in Yunior’s coming of age and eventual use

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