I liked Yunior’s
chapter because of the switch to the narrator’s point of view, being able to
learn more about the narrator, and being able to learn about Oscar’s life at
Rutgers University. Because of the earlier sections that we’ve read, I expected
Yunior to care more about Oscar; he was upset when Oscar tried to commit
suicide, but Yunior did not really seem to like him. Yunior reflected on the
moment that Oscar decided to stop running with him and told the reader how he
felt about Oscar at the time: “What made me angrier? That Oscar, the fat loser,
quit, or that Oscar, the fat loser defied me? And I wonder: What hurt him more?
That I was never really his friend, or that I pretended to be?” (181). He
wasn’t truly friends with Oscar, at least not at this point in the novel. After
this section, I not only felt bad for Oscar (which was going to happen anyway),
I also felt bad for Lola and Yunior. Yunior is telling the reader this story
with a guilty tone; he acted cruel at the time that the story he is telling
happened, but his reflection leaves him feeling guilty.
I definitely think you're right to say that Yunior feels guilty about the way he treats Oscar. However, I just think it's disgusting when Yunior visits Oscar after his attempted suicide just because he's already on his way to see one of his "girls." Also, when he is visiting Oscar Yunior only really cares about watching Lola in her workout shorts.
ReplyDeleteTo this point in the novel, I think that Yunior's interest in Oscar is connected to his feelings for Lola. He is attempting to use Oscar to impress her. I agree, there is a tone of guilt in his voice, and that may give us a glimmer of hope for him. We must also keep in mind that his is a hyper-masculine culture in which Yunior's behavior is the norm. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I have mixed feelings about Yunior. I find his character very interesting and I enjoy reading about his relationship with Oscar. I think he truly cares for Oscar, but feels embarrassed by him at times. Unfortunately, I would agree with Charles, I think that Oscar and Yunior's relationship began because Yunior was trying to impress Lola.
ReplyDeleteI really don't like Yunior. I think it is interesting how he treats him. I think Yunior only cares for Oscar when it serves his purpose. It actually annoyed me when Yunior would complain about Oscar when the two were together. I know that it is easy to feel bad for Yunior, but I have a hard time doing it with his inner monologue rolling of how he felt towards Oscar.
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