In our class discussion today, we talked a lot about the blank spaces in certain chapters and what they all mean. Is there or is there not a way to fill in the blanks and what Diaz trying to say with those blank spaces. Personally, I feel that Diaz left the blank spaces on purpose. I think that he wants the reader to create their own story and fill in the spaces with what most makes sense to them. A lot of the story I felt was left up to the reader's own interpretation as if Diaz wanted them to create their own ending.
I also feel that Diaz could be using the blank spaces as a metaphor for silence, as in the silence felt between two people where there is nothing left to be said. In the novel, when they are laying in bed, Junior mentions that he wishes he could have said the three little words that would have saved them and then the reader finds the blank spaces. I feel like this is Diaz's way of saying that when you are in love with someone or about to fall out of love with someone, the silence is a mutual understanding that one person in the relationship knows what the other is trying to say without being explicitly stated.
What did everyone else make of the blank spaces?
I found the blank spaces interesting. Of course, like most of my classmates I substituted the assumed "I love you" in the 3 lines Yunior wants to say to Lola. However, after discussion today I'm not so sure what I think about them, but I am truly intrigued by the mysteriousness of them.
ReplyDeleteI really like the blank space too. Very postmodern. I feel like the blank space is Diaz's way of making the reader more interactive and work harder to understand the true meaning of the text. Maybe, the blank space could have multiple interpretations for different people? Does he want one meaning for them?
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