The theme of masculinity in Diaz's stories has been brought up in class a few times, and I found it very interesting to look at what role it plays in the story "Ysrael."
One of the earliest events that stood out to me is when Yunior cries after being sexually harassed on the bus, and Rafa tells him off for crying, calling him a "pussy." While it's true that Rafa doesn't know the real reason why his brother is crying, his message is nonetheless very clear: Yunior needs to get tougher, because 'real' men don't cry.
I also wonder if Ysrael's mask is a symbol of masculinity. Or if not masculinity, a defense mechanism. I found a Latin American sport called "lucha libre", which involves two male (never female) wrestlers wearing masks. Apparently the biggest dishonor is not necessarily losing the match, but having your opponent remove your mask to reveal your face. The stealing of the mask is considered a symbol of losing your identity and masculinity.
So if we are to consider this in the context of the story, perhaps Rafa and Ysrael are the wrestlers (in the story, Ysrael is actually into wrestling). Ysrael wears a physical mask, and seems to do everything in his power to avoid others stealing his mask. While Rafa doesn't have a physical mask, he seems to put on a very 'tough' outwards appearance. Rafa is very determined to remove Ysrael's mask, in my opinion, not only because he is curious about Ysrael's injury, but also because Rafa is frustrated that Ysrael keeps evading capture by any of the boys. I feel as if Rafa is somehow determined to reveal the 'true' Ysrael whom he believes is under that mask. And of course, by taking off Ysrael's mask, Rafa seems to strip Ysrael's power as well, something that is often associated with masculinity.
And then there's Yunior. In class, we touched on the possibility that Yunior is more interested in the person behind the mask, unlike Rafa, who is interested in removing Ysrael's defense mechanism and just looking at his injuries. It definitely seems as if Yunior does not fit the typical mold of masculinity, especially in Latin American culture. This seems to be consistent in other stories involving the two brothers as well—In "Fiesta, 1980," Yunior is constantly carsick, for which his father calls him a weakling.
One of the earliest events that stood out to me is when Yunior cries after being sexually harassed on the bus, and Rafa tells him off for crying, calling him a "pussy." While it's true that Rafa doesn't know the real reason why his brother is crying, his message is nonetheless very clear: Yunior needs to get tougher, because 'real' men don't cry.
I also wonder if Ysrael's mask is a symbol of masculinity. Or if not masculinity, a defense mechanism. I found a Latin American sport called "lucha libre", which involves two male (never female) wrestlers wearing masks. Apparently the biggest dishonor is not necessarily losing the match, but having your opponent remove your mask to reveal your face. The stealing of the mask is considered a symbol of losing your identity and masculinity.
So if we are to consider this in the context of the story, perhaps Rafa and Ysrael are the wrestlers (in the story, Ysrael is actually into wrestling). Ysrael wears a physical mask, and seems to do everything in his power to avoid others stealing his mask. While Rafa doesn't have a physical mask, he seems to put on a very 'tough' outwards appearance. Rafa is very determined to remove Ysrael's mask, in my opinion, not only because he is curious about Ysrael's injury, but also because Rafa is frustrated that Ysrael keeps evading capture by any of the boys. I feel as if Rafa is somehow determined to reveal the 'true' Ysrael whom he believes is under that mask. And of course, by taking off Ysrael's mask, Rafa seems to strip Ysrael's power as well, something that is often associated with masculinity.
And then there's Yunior. In class, we touched on the possibility that Yunior is more interested in the person behind the mask, unlike Rafa, who is interested in removing Ysrael's defense mechanism and just looking at his injuries. It definitely seems as if Yunior does not fit the typical mold of masculinity, especially in Latin American culture. This seems to be consistent in other stories involving the two brothers as well—In "Fiesta, 1980," Yunior is constantly carsick, for which his father calls him a weakling.
