This summary analyzes Junot Díaz's short story collection Drown and how it depicts isolation and not belonging. The story introduces Yunior, who is isolated from his family through physical separation from his parents and emotional separation from his brother. Díaz himself feels isolated from the English literary canon due to his inclusion of Spanish words and focus on Dominican culture. The summary compares Díaz's experience to other authors like Toni Morrison and Kamila Shamsie who also push boundaries and write about controversial topics or cultures not normally represented in the English literary tradition.

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Colonial Imposition
By Larissa Barkley
“The fact that I am writing to you in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell
you. My subject: how to explain to you that I don’t belong to English though I belong
nowhere else.” Junot Díaz opens his book Drown with this quote by Gustavo Pérez
Firmat that illustrates the common themes of belonging and isolation in Díaz’s short
stories. Rather than drawing his introduction from a traditional, well-known, English-
named writer, Díaz makes a profound statement that he intends to set himself apart as an
author and claims isolation in the world of literature as well as in his short stories. Díaz
claims that he doesn’t “belong to English,” and reinforces that claim by including
Spanish words throughout all of his short stories. He specifies that he doesn’t belong to
the English language, rather than separating himself from an English speaking country
itself [for example, America]. This shows Díaz’s emphasis on bringing English as a
language into a new light, rather than the cultures commonly associated with it. Through
this bold quote, Díaz does elicit a reasonable follow-up question: what does he belong to?
My answer is that he simply… doesn’t. Díaz claims isolation through the characters in
his stories and, as we will see later, isolation from the literary canon as a whole.
Díaz’s work is highly noticed in the literary world. However, it’s not necessarily
for his detailed writing that speaks to generations about Dominican culture. His fame
comes from the unorthodox nature of his style of writing. It is rare indeed to find an
author who can successfully isolate himself from the literary canon. It is rarer still to find
an author who deliberately states his intent in doing so in one of his books. Díaz’s
inclusion of both Spanish words and a detailed look at the Dominican culture in his book

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results in a lot of criticism from literary scholars. Díaz makes no claims to try to please
other critics though, and continues to step outside of the socially acceptable literary box.
Díaz separates himself from other authors because of his fearlessness in writing that goes
against the social norm dealing with the primacy of the English language. The text itself
speaks volumes to immigration, assimilation, and the cultural differences between the
United States and the Dominican Republic. All of these aspects deal with the theme of
isolation and alienation, which he emphasizes through the main characters in his short
stories in order to allude to this separation from canonical works.
Díaz opens his compilation of short stories with the character of Yunior, who is
the narrator of this particular story. Díaz often depicts Yunior as being very isolated from
both his parents and his older brother. “Mami shipped me and Rafa out to the campo
every summer” (Díaz 3). Díaz uses the language of “shipped” in order to convey that this
trip to the “campo” wasn’t welcomed by the narrator. Throughout the stories we can feel
the alienation that Yunior goes through with his family both physically and emotionally.
This physical isolation that Díaz portrays in his text shows that the two sons are sent
away from their parents to a house in the country with relatives. In this way, Yunior is set
apart from his family intentionally. We see this further in the next short story, “Fiesta,
1980.” The scenario is that Yunior and Rafa’s father has an American car that he values
more importantly than anything else, even his family. “I was never supposed to eat before
our car trips,” Yunior confesses in this story (Díaz 25). The father forbids Yunior from
eating because he knows that the son will throw up from car sickness when they drive.
Díaz is further isolating Yunior from his parents by placing more value in an American

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car than his young son’s nutrition. Díaz shows these isolations all throughout the text in
order to mirror the isolation he has from the canonical community.
While Yunior is occasionally isolated physically from his parents, and
emotionally from his father, he is also isolated from his older brother, Rafa. Rafa and
Yunior were only three years apart in age, but emotionally Rafa was often degrading of
Yunior. “Back in the Capital he rarely said anything to me except Shut up, pendejo,”
Yunior shares about the treatment he receives from his brother (5). Rafa is a character
that is more risky in his choices than his brother, and this sets them apart even further. “I
glanced back at Rafa and he pretended like he didn’t see me. That was the way he was, at
school and at home” (Díaz 28). This emotional isolation of always being an outsider to
Rafa, as well as the physical separation from his parents, indicates Yunior’s isolation in
the text.
The first chapter of the book is titled “Ysrael” after a boy in the book who has a
deformed face from an accident he was in as a child. It is interesting to me that Díaz
chose to put Ysrael’s name as the first story in his book, when he really doesn’t have a
huge role until seven pages into story. The effect this choice has on the audience is one
that makes us question not only who Ysrael is, but also why he was important enough to
make a title. Díaz as an author is very similar to this character, which is why his name is
the first thing we read in the text. Díaz writes that “he was something to talk about, a
name that set the kids to screaming” (7). This is similar to the way that the literary
community is talking about Díaz and his “controversial” writing. Ysrael was often the
target of much harassment and brutality. Ysrael is isolated in his home and rarely allowed
into town. If he did go into town he would be beaten. Yunior says, “The summer before I

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pegged Ysrael with a rock and the way it bounced off his back I knew I’d clocked a
shoulder blade” (Díaz 14). Though Díaz isn’t physically abused by literary critics, the
isolationist aspect found in his writing and Ysrael’s life is very similar.
Unlike the characters we have looked at thus far, the father in these stories chose
his isolation. This is like Díaz as an author because his isolation was intentional, and even
admitted in his text. The father in these stories wishes and finally achieves his dream of
leaving for a better life in America. However, when he gets reaches his destination, he
quickly realizes that it’s not so beautiful and accepting. “He’d been robbed twice already,
his ribs beaten until they were bruised” (Díaz 179). The character learns quickly that the
rest of the world contains hardships for him too. Díaz’s journey as a developing author is
similar to the father’s journey because they both chose their fates of isolation. The father
purposefully goes against the typical Dominican culture in the stories that places heavy
emphasis on familial life, respect, and honor. “Papi wrote her saying he was coming for
us and like an innocent Mami believed him… he reassured her that yes, he was coming.
His word was his bond” (Díaz 82). It took the father a very long time to finally reach the
end of his journey and send for his family though, which shows that his word was broken
many times. This results in the emotional detachment of his family from him, furthering
his isolation from physical to emotional. Díaz and the father share the aspect of
intentionally isolating themselves though.
There are few authors who are confident enough to make a profound claim in
their books against literary scholars, and fewer still who are successful for it. Díaz is
among a group of incredibly talented and unique authors who overstep the boundaries of
what is socially acceptable to write about. Díaz explores the struggles of immigrants

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coming to a new land they aren’t accepted in. Award winning author Toni Morrison
breaks racial and stylistic boundaries in her novel A Mercy by addressing slavery in early
America. Kamila Shamsie addresses controversial political issues in her novel Broken
Verses within the Pakistan culture and even the Islamic religion. Though Morrison is
substantially more successful in her writing career than Shamsie and Díaz are, she is still
a very unorthodox author who pushes literary boundaries. Shamsie and Díaz are similar
authors in that both of their careers are young, and their writings are often controversial.
These authors chose cultures that are very much “outsiders” to the American culture.
Shamsie addresses a whole new level of controversy in her novel published just four
years after the terrorist attack on the United States by an extremist Islamic group. Both
Shamsie and Díaz address different layers of their cultures that the typical American
wouldn’t know. Shamsie’s novel deals with the “Hollywood scene” in Pakistan, while
Díaz addresses the need for the Dominican community to be more accepted in America.
While these authors similarly address unorthodox issues, they also both include foreign
words in their English books.
One of the reasons that Díaz is criticized as an author is because he uses the
Spanish language throughout this novel. He flawlessly includes Spanish words in
throughout the stories in order to further immerse the readers in the Dominican culture.
This is similar to how Shamsie uses Arabic phrases from the Quran in her novel to
convey “which of your lord’s blessings would you deny” (5). Shamsie and Díaz both
share this bravery that is associated with the inclusion of such foreign words in a
primarily English text. In an interview, Díaz states “the English language reflected none
of his experience, but if he learned to imitate it, he could make it bear the burden of his

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experience” (Díaz, Shook and Celayo). Díaz doesn’t associate his memories or home
culture with the English language, though it would be difficult for him to make the claim
that he associates it with the Dominican community since he was raised in America. The
aspect of him belonging to a kind of “no man’s land” is another factor that sets Díaz apart
as an author. He is isolated from other scholarly writers because of his difference in
background, which comes out in his text Drown. “I was trying to see how far I could
push English to the edge of disintegration, but still be, for the large part, entirely
coherent” (Díaz, Shook and Celayo). Díaz’s combination of the English language and the
Spanish language not only serves to push the boundaries of comprehension for the
readers, but to simultaneously widen Díaz’s audience.
Through and through, we can examine factors about the text and Díaz’s life that
qualify him as an author who writes outside of the literary box. We can examine the text
further to see more examples of isolation and how it relates to Díaz as a writer not born
on American soil. However, the more complex picture at hand here is so much bigger and
broader than Junot Díaz’s short stories on Dominican lifestyles. What we have to really
look at is the effect that Díaz has on the smaller third world countries and their chances of
being included in any type of scholarly canon now that Díaz has “spoken for them.” Díaz
has received a lot of criticism concerning his qualifications for writing these stories
dealing with a life he has never known.
When confronted in an interview with a question asking Díaz how his book
Drown was received in Santo Domingo, he claims that “artists and writers, they’re an
easy target” to question and try to qualify (Díaz, A Conversation with Junot Díaz).
Honestly though, this is an extremely valid question. With this book, Díaz has been

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recognized with many awards and acknowledgements that have allowed him to be very
successful as a writer. However this “fame” has come with the price of depriving
someone who is actually from a third world country [born and raised] from being
recognized in this light. Díaz’s books are now being taught in universities across the
country. Through his depictions of the hard-luck life in the Dominican Republic, readers
feel a kind of sympathy for him. This depiction of Dominican culture was brought on
more by imagination and research, rather than experience. There are many other cultures
that are never given the chance to tell their stories through the English language, let alone
through their native languages. Díaz is almost, in a way, stealing this opportunity further
from other societies. He takes their place on the literary status ladder, not allowing these
actual “third world” country natives to actually have their own voice.
It is easy to blame Díaz for taking the opportunity to write books dealing with
“third world” countries from actual natives of these countries. However, there is a
beneficial aspect to this as well. Díaz, as previously stated, writes on controversial topics
about areas not commonly accepted in American society. The Dominican and Spanish
communities are considered “lower class” regardless of their actual wealth status and
general happiness. Americans tend to look down on their cultures because they are
different from ours. However, Díaz does something wonderful amidst the generalizations
he makes about Dominican families: he addresses a deeper layer of the culture that is not
commonly discussed. In his book, the readers are educated in a whole new way about the
struggles of being accepted in a new community of strange people. These stories not only
shed light on different aspects than some might consider about the Dominican Republic
nation, but they give a voice to the uneducated silent. A lot of people in “third world”

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countries don’t have the resources to access basic education and life skills, let alone
English language classes. Since the literary canon is almost exclusively works written in
English or translated into English, it would be nearly impossible for someone from this
background to successfully write their perception of life like Díaz does. Díaz utilized his
resources and upbringing to give a voice to the otherwise silent population in the “third
world.”
I have discussed a great deal about Junot Díaz as an author and his purposeful
inclusion of isolation as a theme in Drown in order to illustrate his out-of-the-box writing
style. However there is a more prominent underlying issue when we examine texts and
authors like these. The concept of colonial imposition is one that is currently being
debated in the literary world. There are countless speeches, interviews, essays and entire
books devoted to this topic. The literary canon includes texts that are primarily in the
English language. This leaves little to no room for other cultures to be accepted at an
scholarly level. Georg Gugelberger writes that “Third World Literature” has been “kept
too long outside the established canon of ‘Masterpieces of World Literature’” (519). This
is the growing opinion of many scholars when we look at inclusion of English in the
canon, or more importantly, the exclusion of any other minority language.
“Third World Literature has not become a part of us because we refuse to
legitimize it” (Gugelberger 506). The literary scholars of the world who decide if a piece
of literature is worth including in the literary canon have constantly overlooked one
important factor of literature itself: it is meant to bring people together. Thiong’o Ngugi
writes in his inspiring book Decolonizing the Mind, that “education is a means of
knowledge about ourselves” (94). Literature, languages and cultures all exist as part of a

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process we all go through to find our identities as humans. The stories that people write
help us to discover aspects of different areas of the world and subsequently, a deeper
consciousness of ourselves. Through the exclusion of so-called “Third World Literature”
from the canon, we identify ourselves as a narrow-minded poopulation. Ngugi further
claims that after we have “examined ourselves, we radiate outwards and discover peoples
and worlds around us” (94). In order to become more culturally developed and aware of
our surroundings, we must look at other nations and languages. While Ngugi’s claims
deal mainly with African nations and languages, this applies to all cultures.
When discussing “Third World” nations, the term itself begs to be contested.
Gugelberger questions, “What is the Third World? Is it a geographical entity? An identity
of color? A question of historical experience of a certain kind?” (511). The effects that
come with labeling an entire people as essentially being “lower class” remains far after
the poverty of a nation has decreased. The label implies not only an impoverished nation,
but an uneducated people, which is not always the case. The English language has grown
tremendously in prevalence and power throughout the world to the point where it is too
powerful. Ngugi writes that he rejects “the primacy of English literature and cultures,”
and I do too (94). English is just one of many beautiful languages around the world, and
yet people are expected to write in it to be successful in the literary world. “Every
language has its own social and cultural basis, and these are instrumental in the formation
of mental processes and value judgments” (Ngugi 99). Through the imposition of the
English language on all other cultures, we lose the richness that the land’s original
language allowed. The literary canon excludes these languages because they are perhaps

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difficult or different from what has “always been.” However, the exclusion is exactly
what authors like Díaz and Shamsie aim to contest.
I am sure that you, as the reader, are thinking, “So what does this all mean?” I am
also sure that you are thinking it is very unorthodox to address the readers so informally
in an essay like this. This all emphasizes the argument I have made though: unorthodox
writing when it comes to literature can not only set you apart as an author, but as an
individual. This is what Díaz has done by including the Spanish language and Dominican
culture into his writings. Not only has he set himself outside of the canonical box as an
author, but also he is more developed intellectually for it [Ngugi would agree]. Even the
inclusion of isolation through the characters of Ysrael, Yunior, and the father in Drown,
we see just how strong the effects of being different are. Ysrael lived with a physical
deformity that made him an outcast in society. Yunior was isolated physically and
emotionally from his family. The father in these stories isolated himself in hopes of
finding a better world. These isolations are representative of Díaz’s isolation from what is
socially accepted in America when it comes to native languages mixing with English in
literature. Gayatri Spivak writes “the teaching of English literature can become critical
only if it is intimately yoked to the teaching of literary or cultural production in the
mother tongue(s)” (52). The literary canon excludes “Third World Literature” because it
is often lacking in “formal aspects,” however these informalities are what makes
literature beautiful and unique (Gugelberger 515). The unorthodox way that Díaz portrays
his isolation, as well as alludes to the exclusion of foreign literature in the canon is the
reason behind his success as an author. “The quest for relevance is not a call for
isolationism but a recognition that national liberation is the basis of… (the) struggles for

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human equality, justice, peace and progress” (Ngugi 103). Díaz captures this basis
through his writing in Drown in order to advance society towards a more diverse literary
canon.

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Bibliography
Díaz, Junot. "A Conversation with Junot Díaz." Review: Literature and Arts of the
Americas. Achy Obejas. Routledge, 14 April 2009.
—. Drown. New York: Penguin Group, 1996.
Díaz, Junot, David Shook and Armando Celayo. "In Darkness We Meet: A
Conversation with Junot Díaz." World Literature Today 82.2 (2008): 12-17.
Gugelberger, Georg M. Decolonizing the Canon: Considerations of Third World
Literature. Vol. 22. Summer: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991. 3
vols.
Shamsie, Kamila. Broken Verses. Great Britain: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2005.
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. "The Burden of English." An Aesthetic Education in the
Era of Globalization. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2012. 35-56.
Print.
Thiong'o, Ngugi. Decolonizing the Mind. London: James Currey, 1986.