Comparing How To Date A Browngirl, By Junot Diaz And Sherman Alexie

Native American literature and Latin American literature are like two pieces of the same pie, they may be different in appearance, but deep down, they share similar roots and characteristics. Both Junot Diaz and Sherman Alexie come from a modest minority family but have used their intelligence and knack for writing to make it and live a life in the United States, thriving. “How to Date a Browngirl,” by Junot Diaz is told in second person point of view, as a list for the reader on how to handle a date with a girl. The speaker provides many tips and steps on how to have a good time and look good for a girl as the story progresses. In “How to Fight Monsters,” by Sherman Alexie, Junior faces a whole different set of problems, instead of having

In “How to Date a Browngirl” the speaker is faced with the challenge of getting sexual acts from a girl and in “How to Fight Monsters” he has to deal with the bullies and kids at his school who bully him because of his Native American heritage. Comments such as “Hey, Chief” clearly frustrate Junior and make it hard for him to come to school on a daily basis. The characters also are both marginalized and stereotyped based on purely their race. In Junot Diaz’s “How to Date a Browngirl,” the girl that is with the speaker assumes he is full on Spanish “She'll say, I like Spanish guys, and even though you've never been to Spain, say, I like you. You'll sound smooth,” even though he has never been to Spain is not well immersed in its culture. In “How to Fight Monsters,” Junior also has to deal with people poking fun at his race and stereotyping him around school. The two characters also both come from minority backgrounds and grew up in unusual circumstances, relative to most kids. Growing up on an Indian reservation and in a rundown city apartment with no father will lead to different views and takes on life for the two main characters. Overall, both short stories feature characters that share challenges, racial stereotyping, and unusual

In “How to Date a Browngirl,” the speaker is going over the steps to score with a girl but is clearly clueless. He offers lots of advice for sex and how to get with a girl but is obviously inexperienced. When the speaker says “If she's not from around the way, Wendy's will do,” the speaker is obviously inexperienced and not well informed on how to handle a girl. If he wanted to be in a relationship he would treat the girls better and does not know how to handle the situation. In “How to Fight Monsters,” the speaker has to stand up to his bullies. He eventually does fight the bully but when he does, the reaction is not positive. The boy, Roger, says “you’re an animal,” to Junior and clearly is shocked that he really wants to fight. In “How to Date a Browngirl,” the speaker is not shocked when the girls do not want to do sexual things with him when in reality, the way he acts, he should not expect anything at all. Junior in “How to Fight Monsters” is a notorious loser of fights on the reservation and has even been made to beat himself up but ironically, looks like a vicious predator for trying to fight at the school off the reservation. The title “How to Date a Browngirl” is ironic in itself because the short story is not about dating, the prevailing goal of the speaker is to have sex with a girl and then nothing else. He does not have any intentions