In Ysrael we witnessed a long string of cause and effects. Starting with, the pig that ate Ysrael’s face off when he was a baby. The repercussions of this accident caused Ysrael to be a victim of verbal and physical abuse throughout his life. One incident of this abuse was with Rafa and Yunior. The reasons why this attack happened are also connected. The boys were sent to the country so their mother could work. The boys were allowed to wander in the country because, they finished all of their chores.
Even in the story Aurora, many events were connected in different ways. Aurora was sent to juvie for using drugs, which she sometimes received from Lucero. Even though Lucero did not agree with her drug abuse he still kept their relationship intact. By keeping their relationship intact Lucero and Aurora continued with their abuse of each other. Their constant abuse will eventually lead them to their final goodbye, or perhaps a normal relationship.
In class we discussed other connections and cycles in these two short stories. The amount of causes and effects in these stories seemed very evident to me. This reoccurring theme makes me wonder if it is just a coincidence that cause and effect plays such a big part in the stories, or if it plays a larger role in the message the novel tells? I have had many ideas as to what it might mean. Such as, one event being able to construct the rest of a person’s life like the instance of Ysrael, and the pig. My question for you is what role, if any, you believe cause and effect plays in these short stories?
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As you have pointed out almost every action is due to cause and effect. I believe it make us think our itnerwined every action in our lives actually is, and makes us think about the meaning and reasoning behind everything we do. As Ms. Sells mentioned, the only action that was completely senseless, and without reason is the catalyst of events in the stroy. A pig ate Ysrael's face. That is such a random, unplanned event, yet it provokes all these actions propelled by many different things.
ReplyDeleteI believe that to analyze cuase and effect well, its necessary to dig into the intentions of the people, and the personality/characteristics that Junot Diaz gave them.
I believe cause and effect play the role of linking these short stories together to show that there could,in fact, be an underlying theme. As the reader, we are urged to construct reasons as to why the events in the stories take place and evaluate the way, in which, we ourselves would have reacted in the same situation. I find myself thinking about what the character's could or should be doing, rather than what they are. Cause and effect allow the reader to put themselves in the sequence of events and create their own ideas, to form an opinion, and think deeply about the reading. Reader's may think of the stories in terms of the fact that their short rather than trying to formulate and contruct their own personal understanding of why these things are happening.
ReplyDeleteI think that like in real life, cause and effect is the driving force in the story. Everything happens for a reason and like in real life when one thing occurs, often times it leads to another event or a sequence of events to happen. In these short stories, Diaz gives us the background to the stories in order for the readers to understand what is happening, why it is happening and to predict what will happen next. It gives the reader insight into the characters and their personalities and why they do the things they do.
ReplyDeleteTo your question, I think you give a good example in Ysreal. If the pig had not eaten Ysreal’s face off, he would not have been hurt both mentally and physically. Then all the following tragedy would never happen. But all the stories are written by people. The so-called “cause and effect” is also created by writers in order to make the stories more reasonable. All the stories are imaginative. The coincidences you are confused with are established in writers’ brain before they begin to write. In other word, a variety of coincidences consist of the whole story.
ReplyDeleteCause and effect plays a significant role not only in the short stories within “Drown,” but in life in general as well. If Ysrael’s face was not eaten by a pig, Ysrael would probaly live a life with less ridicule, including that of Rafa and Junior. As a result, there may not have even been a short story about Ysrael. In addition, if Lucero and Aurora were not exposed to drugs along with abusive relationships not only with others but with themselves, “Aurora” could have been a lovely tale about the healthy and beautiful relationship between the two characters. However, the events that life consists of may occur regardless of attempts to prevent them. If Ysrael’s face was not mangled as an infant, perhaps at the age of five Ysrael would have been mauled by a neighbor’s dog, resulting in his disfigured face. Also, perchance Lucero and Aurora would have still had a dysfunctional relationship whether they were in ghettoes of Edison or in the midst of suburbia.
ReplyDeleteLife is cause and effect. I don't know how much I can agree with cause-and-effect as one of the major themes of the novel, though. It's how all books are written--something happens, so something else can happen, so something else will happen, which will eventually lead us to our conclusion. Books are written by people, who experience life as cause and effect, and who write in a way that other people can (generally) follow. It's important, but more as a theme of life than a theme of Drown.
ReplyDeleteCause and effect plays a major role in these plays and it does the same in our lives. Without things happening (causes), we will never know the results (effects). Cause and effect go hand in hand; the events that take place in their lives are the results of causes. And just like “Dadamson” said earlier if Ysrael’s face hadn’t been eaten by the pig, there probably will be no story and if Aurora hadn’t been exposed to drugs, her life would have taken a different turn.
ReplyDeleteI agree with anumber of different responses in that cause and effect is a huge theme in the short stories and in life in General. these short stories having meaning behind them. Meaning inplies significance. Meaning comes from a cause and effect. These events fictional or not are a significant part of Diaz's life because of the effect that they have had on him and others. I believe that the eperiences in the short stories are the events that have shaped Junot Diaz's life from his culture to his relationships with his family friends and many to other people along the way. Many experiences like these shape a person by how they haunt a person or inspire them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what a few other people have said - cause and effect is the underlying theme of any story, fictional or true. I don't think that it can be looked at as an integral part of the story because it's so common. It's more important to look at the reason behind the causes, whether they are senseless, such as Ysrael and the pig, or just bad decisions, as in the case of Aurora's drug problem. Like Allie said, cause and effect is important to life in general, not just particularly in the case of "Drown."
ReplyDeleteI think that cause and effect set the tone for the entire play. It's kind of like that saying, "there's a reason for everything".There is always a cause for the events that took place in these short stories. Which basically lay out the plot of the stories, and consequently there's going to be an effect after the cause takes place.
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