The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Chapter 4 Quotes
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Chapter 4 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Act.Chapter.Section.Paragraph), (Act.Special Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 4
Jenni was her real name, but all her little goth buddies called her La Jablesse, and every standard a dude like me had, this diabla [devil] short-circuited. Girl was luminous. Beautiful jíbara [?] skin, diamond-sharp features, wore her hair in this super-black Egypto-cut, her eyes caked in eyeliner, her lips painted black, had the biggest roundest tits you've ever seen. Every day Halloween for this girl, and on actual Halloween she dressed up as—you guessed it—a dominatrix, had one of the gay guys in the music section on a leash. (1.4.1.96)
There are quite a few strong female characters in Wao. Beli. Lola. Jenni. Are the male characters in the novel threatened by these strong female characters, do you think? If so, why would they—these men from a macho culture—be threatened by a strong woman?
Quote 5
And besides, that fall a miracle happened: Suriyan showed up at my door. Looking more beautiful than I ever saw her, I want us to try again. Of course I said yes, and went out and put a cuerno [horn] in her that very night. Dios mío! Some n*****s couldn't have gotten ass on Judgment Day; me I couldn't not get ass, even when I tried. (1.4.1.194)
We don't doubt that Yunior hooks up with Suriyan here. But we do want to point out that Yunior also brags a lot about his good looks and charm throughout the book. As a narrator, Yunior does a lot of posturing: he wants us to know that he's strong and tough and that women constantly fall for him. We're guessing the reality is just a shade less fantastic than that.
Quote 6
Why is this the face I can't seem to forget, even now, after all these years? Tired from working, swollen from lack of sleep, a crazy mixture of ferocity and vulnerability that was and shall ever be Lola.
She looked at me until I couldn't stand it anymore and then she said: Just don't lie to me, Yunior.
I won't, I promised.
Don't laugh. My intentions were pure. (1.4.1.218-1.4.1.221)
We love Yunior despite his faults. And one of his faults is that he cheats on just about every girl he dates. Lola and Yunior are getting busy in this passage. Lola tells Yunior not to hurt her. Of course, Yunior will later cheat on Lola. He just can't help himself, we guess. (Though that seems like kind of a lame excuse.)