The Battle Against Insecurity
One of the most fundamental human characteristics is the desire to be what you are not. Whether it be in wealth, weight, beauty, or intelligence, people aspire to be whatever they believe is superior. Yet, whenever a goal is achieved, it seems to be human nature to find something else that could be changed about oneself. In her lecture, “The Biggest Disease Affecting Humanity: I’m not Enough” Marisa Peer elaborates on how people can find confidence and become content with themselves. Her psychoanalysis of people can be applied to many books, films, or even everyday life. The protagonist of Junot Diaz’s short story, “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie” is a prime example of such. The story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy who is advising the readers on how to seem attractive to females. However, the overarching theme of his advice is to pretend to be something you are not. After watching Marisa …show more content…
In order to seem more attractive to the girls he attempts to date, the boy carries out various tasks to falsely portray his financial situation. In the second paragraph, the boy implies his family receives welfare benefits when he says, “Clear the government cheese from the refrigerator” (Diaz 235). His choice of the verb “clear” fosters a sense of deliberation as well as urgency. This word allows the reader to imagine the boy frantically grabbing the cheese and storing it elsewhere as though it were a dead rat or molding fruits. His portrayal of government cheese as something repulsive and grotesque is just one indicator of insecurity. In addition, this is the very first instruction he gives in the story. The immediacy of the advice to conceal something as trivial as cheese indicates intense premeditation and shows his embarrassment for being government
One of the most fundamental human characteristics is the desire to be what you are not. Whether it be in wealth, weight, beauty, or intelligence, people aspire to be whatever they believe is superior. Yet, whenever a goal is achieved, it seems to be human nature to find something else that could be changed about oneself. In her lecture, “The Biggest Disease Affecting Humanity: I’m not Enough” Marisa Peer elaborates on how people can find confidence and become content with themselves. Her psychoanalysis of people can be applied to many books, films, or even everyday life. The protagonist of Junot Diaz’s short story, “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie” is a prime example of such. The story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy who is advising the readers on how to seem attractive to females. However, the overarching theme of his advice is to pretend to be something you are not. After watching Marisa …show more content…
In order to seem more attractive to the girls he attempts to date, the boy carries out various tasks to falsely portray his financial situation. In the second paragraph, the boy implies his family receives welfare benefits when he says, “Clear the government cheese from the refrigerator” (Diaz 235). His choice of the verb “clear” fosters a sense of deliberation as well as urgency. This word allows the reader to imagine the boy frantically grabbing the cheese and storing it elsewhere as though it were a dead rat or molding fruits. His portrayal of government cheese as something repulsive and grotesque is just one indicator of insecurity. In addition, this is the very first instruction he gives in the story. The immediacy of the advice to conceal something as trivial as cheese indicates intense premeditation and shows his embarrassment for being government