Have you ever noticed that pretty much all of the villians in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao are men? That's no coincidence, Shmoopers. Wao recounts the abuses of colonial powers on island nations like the Dominican Republic, which embody what some might call a paternalistic attitude to native peoples. It also details the legacy of evil male dictators like Trujillo, and tells stories of the very personal abuses men have heaped on women throughout history. See, though the poor treatment of women at the hands of cruel men certainly counts as a major theme of the novel, it must also be understood as a continuation of other historical injustices.
Questions About Gender
- How does being a Dominican man affect the way the characters think of masculinity? How are ideas of national identity intertwined with gender in Wao?
- Does the narrator treat women well? How does Yunior's particularly gendered voice color how we understand the main events and main characters of this novel?
- Does Oscar fit the stereotype of Dominican masculinity? Is he like the other Dominican men in the book? Why, or why not?
- Do any of the female characters share any traits? Do they fit into any sort of stereotypes?