In the Dominican Republic, there lives a curse so hauntingly horrifying that its believers spend their entire lives watching every step they take in hopes of avoiding falling into its nefarious grasp. The novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, details the tale of the de León family’s merciless fukú; their fragmented story leaves little to no room to doubt that the dangerous, Dominican curse- one that dates back to the discovery of the New World -does indeed exist. But the question is: what exactly is this fukú that has caused this family and many others so much strife and turmoil during the duration of their lives?
People who were not raised under a Dominican influence believe fukú to be a foreign term, replicating a child’s tale. However, in the Dominican Republic this term is precisely the opposite. Fukú is described as “a course of doom that originates in Africa and hovers over the world, as well as …show more content…
Not surprisingly, it was a word. A simple word (followed usually by a vigorous crossing of index fingers). Zafa.”(7) Zafa, the opposite of fukú, is used to hinder the curse. “If fukú is what puts up divisions between us, zafas are what break down these walls. If fukú is danger and persecution, zafas are protection and sanctuary. If fukú is oppression and silence, zafas are freedom and imagination.” The novel is a zafa of sorts; it was written to destroy the horrible luck and the perpetuated tragedy that had sustained itself through the history of the de León family and pretty much the Dominican Republic as a whole. It was written in hope of setting the Dominican people free of Trujillo and fukú, but was it successful? Like Diaz, the author, had written before: “The only answer I can give you is the least satisfying: you'll have to decide for yourself.”(243) But whether you believe or not, fukú will always believe in
People who were not raised under a Dominican influence believe fukú to be a foreign term, replicating a child’s tale. However, in the Dominican Republic this term is precisely the opposite. Fukú is described as “a course of doom that originates in Africa and hovers over the world, as well as …show more content…
Not surprisingly, it was a word. A simple word (followed usually by a vigorous crossing of index fingers). Zafa.”(7) Zafa, the opposite of fukú, is used to hinder the curse. “If fukú is what puts up divisions between us, zafas are what break down these walls. If fukú is danger and persecution, zafas are protection and sanctuary. If fukú is oppression and silence, zafas are freedom and imagination.” The novel is a zafa of sorts; it was written to destroy the horrible luck and the perpetuated tragedy that had sustained itself through the history of the de León family and pretty much the Dominican Republic as a whole. It was written in hope of setting the Dominican people free of Trujillo and fukú, but was it successful? Like Diaz, the author, had written before: “The only answer I can give you is the least satisfying: you'll have to decide for yourself.”(243) But whether you believe or not, fukú will always believe in