Some of our discussions about The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao got me to think about the issues that we discuss the most. I think that the most reoccurring theme (besides dirty Spanish words) that we talk about are bodies. Whether this story talks about the sexual interaction, the abuse or the countless descriptions, the body defines so much about these characters and can also get them into their current situations. This also got me thinking about Beli's preoccupation with her attractive physique. Some found this to be her error in judgement, when she disregarded the consequences and drank in the power that came from having large breasts. I kept thinking about the fact that women continue to use their own beauty as a sense of pride. Many women do not consider themselves beautiful simply because society has never told them so. They then feel that they must delve into their other qualities and skills to make them worth something. This is such a fine line that I'm not sure that I have the answer to.
When trying to figure out which is a better fate, I re-read some of the scenes with Beli and the Gangster. One line in particular from the novel really stood out to me. When young Beli is talking to the Gangster, he tells her that she is "mi negrita, una tormenta en la madrugada" (Diaz 127). Roughly, this line means that Beli is a bold storm in the morning. This beautiful sentiment is placed before he compliments her body in the text. If Beli is anything, she is a survivor. Whether she learned it herself or someone taught her, that shallow beauty she believed in gave her the hope to not give up and even look for a better future. I believe that in class, we used the term blessing and a curse. While this one line isn't a complete answer for beauty and it's role in the world, it does give a deeper meaning to the relationship between Beli and the Gangster and makes Beli herself seem to be deeper and stronger.
I was commenting on a post below and, like you, kind of struggling to say what I think Diaz is up to with all the bodily stuff in this book (even his depiction of "gross" body stuff, like bodily functions and torture and broken bodies). Bring this up in class! Let's talk about it some more!
ReplyDeleteI think the shallow beauty Beli learns to rely on comes from seeing the reactions she got, because she was at first shy about her beauty and herself. I think the confidence and power she felt from her beauty was how she learned to cope with the past she tries to forget and probably thinks her beauty is her ticket to a better life. She was young and naive when La Inca sent her to the states and I think her beauty is both a curse and a blessing considering what happened with her family.
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