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.
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I'm not at all familiar with lucha libre, but I think that's a really nice comparison to the "Ysrael" situation. Looking at Rafa's behavior as a mask also sheds light on his behavior in other stories in this collection.
ReplyDeleteThe lucha libre connection makes sense and is really interesting in the context of these stories. I really like how you articulated the idea that stripping off the mask of masculinity also strips away the power that that person has. The mask is both a source of power and a source of constraint, because the boys are not allowed to show emotion or (in Yunior's case) puke.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really cool comparison. The lucha libre idea fits really well from how you explained it and I think it is useful for looking at the interaction between Rafa and Ysrael. I think Rafa has a real need to be macho and he puts this upon Yunior and also wants to belittle and shame Ysrael.
ReplyDeleteYour comparison between Ysrael's mask and lucha libre makes a lot of sense. Using the ideas behind this sport really helps reveal the message of the story. From the very beginning, Yunior is taught that he needs to put up a front and that he isn't allowed to show his feelings or any kind of weakness.
ReplyDeleteThese masks do seem to be symbolic of masculinity, much like in lucha libre. Whether hiding a physical weakness in the case of Ysrael or an emotional weakness in Yunior’s metaphorical mask he’s supposed to keep on, the idea of covering up these weaknesses to preserve masculinity has been a running theme in Yunior’s stories. I wonder what other masks we’ll see as we progress.
ReplyDeleteOkay first of all I just figured out that this is what that movie Nacho Libre is about with Jack Black. But more importantly, I think this is a really excellent assessment of the first story of the collection. When I read this story I definitely saw Rafa taking Ysrael's mask as some type of stripping of confidence and humanity, which fits nicely with what you say about masculinity, but I hadn't thought about it in this particular way.
ReplyDeleteI liked the reference you made to the luchadores, it actually really makes sense now that you bring it up. I definitely agree that there is a big theme of masculinity throughout the story. One aspect that particularly stood out to me was Yunior's own struggle to to fit in with the other boys, bullying Yunior to maintain his own aura of masculinity. In order to show he was tough to his friends and to Rafa, he of course took part in chasing Ysrael around and eventually taking his mask off. In a sense, almost every character had their own version of the mask.
ReplyDelete