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Poverty In Junot Diaz's Drown

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The Effects of Poverty
The American Dream, the reason why many people immigrate to the United States. Seemingly, it seems to be viewed as the land of the great and the free, but with regards to immigration many problems do arise. For example, poverty which can usually be the result of different factors, can ultimately lead to many struggles and repressions. In Junot Diaz’s book Drown, that is a collection of short stories that circle around a family from the Dominican Republic that move to the United States. They face numerous problems especially the protagonist, Yunior, who struggles not only with himself and impoverishment. The story can to a certain extent correlate with the lives of other immigrant families and the outcome of moving to a new land.
When there seems to be a need, especially when it comes to money people make hard decisions, as shown with Yunior’s father, Ramon, who goes on to the States to try and provide for his family. A choice like that may never be easy, but for many families, it is their best bet. Since it provides a sense of hope, a ray of light that can be the push that keeps many moving forward. In retrospect, there can be negative consequences or emotions from racism, language barriers, becoming distressed, etc. To change and better one’s life and others, sacrifices …show more content…

As he says,“We were poor. The only way we could have been poorer was to have lived in the campo or to have been Haitian immigrants…We didn’t eat rocks but we didn’t eat meat or beans either” (70). Although life for Yunior was not easy, he is able to analyze his living situation and incline towards the fact that it could have been worse. Yet, it is always unsettling to live in such as setting, as shown in Aguantado, being that Yunior is scared of being sent away from home when the going gets ruff because he knows that distance can become

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