Is Oscar Cursed?

In class we have discussed Fuku a lot with this text. Many people in this class seem to be under the assumption that these characters are using the curse as a crutch of sorts, something to put the blame on. I would argue that what is really going on is a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. The characters in this novel believe that they aren’t going to do well, so therefore they never will. Oscar believes himself to be doomed to a curse where he will never be successful in love, but cannot die a virgin. This causes Oscar to go into his love attempts believing they won’t work out and when they don’t he blames it on the curse. I suppose the difference I would say between this and him merely using it as a crutch is the fact that I believe Oscar truly believes in this curse. Oscar and other members of his family have put so much belief into “magic” or the “supernatural” and have given it life even if it is only inside their minds. Is Oscar cursed? Yes he is, but not in the sense he believes. Oscar is doomed to destroy himself because of these beliefs, the pressure of this curse, and living up to the ideal Dominican man. He and those around him have created a curse that is very real to them and cannot escape it unless they refuse to give it power anything longer.