The Dominican Republic: Summary

Yunior had an average life in the Dominican Republic. They were poor and had barely anything to eat. “We didn’t eat rocks but we didn’t eat meat or beans. Almost everything on our plates was boiled; boiled yuca, boiled platano, boiled guineo, maybe with a piece of cheese or a shred of bacalao. On the best days the cheese and the platanos were fried.” But despite that, he was happy. He held the thought of his father, although he barely knew him, close to his heart. He led a happy life, one with his brother, mother and his “abuelo”; grandfather. In regards to his life in New Jersey; he was unhappy, his demeanor changed and he became scared, rebellious and disobedient. He came in contact with a new environment which he was not even allowed to …show more content…
I believe the cause of his unhappiness was the sudden change of lifestyle and the fact that this new environment was so stern, monotonous and uncomfortable. Although they had a lot more than what they had in the Dominican Republic that did not mean they were any happier with their lives. In my opinion, Yunior would have been happier if they just had a better living situation in DR. “Since we weren’t allowed out of the house it’s too cold, Papi said once but really there was no reason other than that’s what he wanted. We mostly sat in front of the TV or stared out at the snow those first days. Mami cleaned everything about ten times and made us some damn elaborate lunches. We were all bored speechless.”
In regards to the cultural differences, there were significant amounts of cultural differences. First of all, Yunior thought that after the winter, all the white people would go away and the dark skin people would be all that’s left. “In less than a year they would be gone. All the white people would be. All that would be left would be us colored folks.” Yunior had also never seen a Caucasian before, he was mesmerized by the skin, hair and eyes of the kids he played with. “His hair was a frightening no-color. His sister had green eyes and her freckled face …show more content…
You know the sort of photograph I’m talking about. Scalloped edges, mostly brown in color. On the back my mom’s cramped handwriting - the date, his name, even the street, one over from our house. He was dressed in his Guardia uniform, his tan cap at an angle on his shaved head, an unlit Constitucion squeezed between his lips. His dark unsmiling eyes were my own.” I believe that Yunior still believed in his father. At that age he had virtually no memory of his father but saw him in bits through his friend’s fathers and through the elderly men who lived in his vicinity. This goes to show that although he didn’t know him, he still thought of him and held him close to his heart. Now when he finally met his father, there was a significant amount of change of heart. Yunior now held fear for his father. Enough fear to have called him “My Father My Torturer.” He felt bullied and unloved by this man. I believe that Yunior felt like his father was ashamed of him. I saw that his father sought to change him. He shaved off his hair. He stopped Yunior from being himself and going outside to play. He made the kids and his wife feared him more than love him. Yunior knew his father cheated, which made him hate him more. Yunior loved his mother and saw the pain that his father caused by cheating on her and never coming home after