Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Oscar's Out
While I understand most people's wanting a happy ending for Oscar, me included, I realized that no matter how we quantify it the guy ends up dead. What bothered me most about the ending is that I felt that though Oscar finally found his "Soy Dominican" towards the end of the novel, I don't exactly feel like cheering. Maybe I'm just cynical, but I assumed that Oscar was going to commit suicide throughout the book, since that seemed to be his main focus, and I am still not entirely sure he didn't. Oscar wanted to die. He wrote the letter, he gave up hope and he jumped from a bridge only to be saved by salad fodder which he wasn't fond of. As he said, "Fare thee well!" and then he jumped. So, I kept thinking about his "murder" after I finished the book and I began to wonder if that wasn't Oscar finding his way out without looking like a coward or if I should be ashamed of myself and proud of him. So, I have decided to declare my inner Swiss and take it right down the middle. I'm happy Oscar got laid (without an STD) though I'm sad he never knew love. As another post said, was it love or lust...I'm not sure Oscar knew the difference. I'm happy he got to be "Dominican" though I am sad he couldn't just be happy being Oscar and I'm happy died on his own terms but sad to see someone pushed that far. I still think this was optional suicide by sex but I at least need to acknowledge that I am happy he found peace. Now, if only Yunior could!
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Leah, I am still not convinced of whether Oscar's death was by suicide or murder. Even though Oscar got laid, we can't exactly call Ybon a "dream girl." Oscar still didn't have very much going on in his life to keep him from committing suicide, or care about living. But, I also know that he told his murderers that they were doing the wrong thing. It just didn't seem to me like Oscar tried very hard to live. I think I'm most satisfied thinking that after Oscar had sex, he didn't care whether he lived or died.
ReplyDeleteLeah, I agree with you. Although Oscar did finally decide not to give up on what he wants (Ybon), and I am glad that he decided to push back against fuku, he ultimately makes the decision to die. He fell in love easily, sometimes with girls he never even met. If he hadn't gone back for Ybon, he would have met another girl. He knows that his chasing Ybon is dangerous, he can feel that he is going down the same path as he did chasing Jenni. Oscar was clinically depressed, and while I find him to be a wonderful character and I want the best for him, I do not think he just got over his depression. He found a way to focus on something else. Suicide or not, Oscar's death was a tragedy. The world had treated him poorly, whether fuku or life, and his death seems a lot like Bruce's death in Fun Home. If Oscar had not died, what waited for him? He would have returned to his hometown where his students and coworkers treated him horribly.
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ReplyDeleteI was really bummed with the ending. Oscar finally had sex, but I felt like he didn't experience true love (which sounds too Disney-ish). We will never know if he got caught on purpose so he could die. Perhaps he thought he should die then, when he was the happiest he had ever been. With his past experiences, he probably assumed it could only go back to being worse like before.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually not one to need a happy ending after every story, but this one did make me feel empty at the end. I was satisfied, but empty.
It seems to me that in many ways Oscar's life was more tragic than his death. Perhaps this world was too corrupt to hold possibilities for people like Oscar. I do not believe that Oscar regarded death as an end. Rather, for him, it was a portal into the next life, where there would be love and justice.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you Leah. I just didn't view Oscar's actions as ones of resignation. I actually felt that he was the least resigned near the end of the book compared to the rest. For once he actually fought for what he wanted, granted he was aware of the consequences his actions could lead to, but he wasn't scared away by them. I also really agree with Charlie, Oscar didn't see death as the end, or a way out, he viewed it as the next great adventure. By the end of the book Oscar wasn't scared of life or of death, he became sure footed in himself and his desires. I actually felt that the end was happier than the majority of the book.
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