Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Cañete-Quesada, Carmen

Abstract

Junot Díaz’s novel centers on the life of Oscar Wao, a black overweight, “ghetto nerd” who is obsessed by two passions: women and science fiction. Although Oscar identifies himself as a Dominican-American, he does not resemble the “ideal” Dominican man and does not share the stereotypical “Dominican qualities”, such as hyper-sexual or machismo behavior. His peculiarities, on the contrary, classify him not only as an outsider within North American society but also within the Dominican community. By placing this marginal character in the center of his novel, Díaz reconsiders and reconstructs “Dominicanness” as it has been presented by previous Dominican authors. This thesis explores the way Díaz breaks away from conventionalism and offers a more complex and diverse image of Dominican-American identity today.

Comments

Includes bibliography.

Extent

103 p.

Identifier

FA00003563

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