I couldn't help but feel that Drown was related to some of the experiences that Diaz himself has either seen or actually experienced. So I googled Diaz and found that he grew up in Dominican Republic and was raised by his mother and grandparents while his father worked in the US. His father abandoned the family in 1979 and his oldest brother was diagnosed with leukima. Diaz immigrated to New Jersey in 1974 but unlike the characters described in his book he did find "the American Dream" and overcame his poverty. I believe that Diaz's purpose for writing the series of short stories is to show Americans what it really means to be an immigrant and the problems that these immigrants become engulfed in.
I found Drown to be a very interesting book and at times enjoyed having to put things together that Diaz did not do for you. I wonder what the short stories would be like if this was made into one book. Would some of these even be considered for chapters in a novel? I think everyone's biggest gripe is the ambivilence and the incontiguity of the short stories but I think thats what made the book such a good read. And after reading Diaz's biography I thought it was interesting that the spanish translation of Drown was called Negocios. Do you all have any insight as to why that would be?
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I'll definitely be interested to hear what others say about "Drown" versus "Negocios." Who is the drowned figure here, and what is he drowning in? This metaphor seems to mean different things to different characters. Brielle, you're right to point out the semi-autobiographical nature of the book; it's especially poignant when we consider the abrupt vanishing of Rafa from the text, and Diaz' own older brother, who died of leukemia. This may not affect the way we read the stories, but it may well have been a significant choice for Diaz.
ReplyDeleteBrielle, It is really interesting to see the connection between the semi-autobiography and the Novel. Knowing the resemblance between the life of the Author and that of Yunior makes a lot of the story much clearer for me. Also, I am not sure why the Spanish Translation is called Negocios, but it means business in English. I find it interesting that the last short story of the book is called Negocios, and it is the Spanish translation. Does anyone have any insight into this?
ReplyDeleteI did not know that Diaz' brother died of leukemia; the sudden disappearance of Rafa in the book makes a lot more sense with that in mind. It would be interesting to look into more of Diaz' personal story to see exactly how far the parallels between himself and Yunior really go. Brielle, did you see any other connections in addition to the ones you mentioned? As in Rafa's case, it may add depth to the holes he intentionally leaves in the collection. Also, I wonder if part of the reason the English translation is entitled Drown rather than Negocios is that Business in English is just not as potent a title as Drown is. Since Diaz kept the title of the final story in Spanish, maybe he felt that a literal translation of the word into English would take away from its impact.
ReplyDeleteI want to talk about Junior and Papi. Up until the final chapter, we the readers perceive Papi as a bad guy because we dont know the full story behind his leaving. However, after the Chapter Negocios, you can't help but start to understand the situation a little more. We learn that he spent years trying to fix his marriage with his wife, who refused to talk about the problems or try to forgive him. Papi proves himself a hard worker once he is in America. It's when he forgets the reason that he is there when his life starts spiraling out of control. Diaz uses Jo-Jo as an example of how the American Dream is attained - through hard work, patience, and passage of time. Papi works very hard, but he makes a few stupid mistakes when he tries to get rick quick or go along with a marriage deal. That's what ultimately causes him to ingore his family.
ReplyDeleteDiaz gives us clues that Junior has the potential to be a better person but just doesn't live the right way. Junior, more than any other character, is aware of his surroundings and his situation. Papi's girlfriend calls him the "smart one." He also is able to identify some of the silly things that Rafa does. Still, Junior gets caught up with the wrong girlfriend, the wrong group of friends, and ends up stealing and drug dealing
I find it very interesting that he chose two different titles for the same story. I am left to wonder what else he may have changed about the Spanish version of the text. I feel that the two different titles probably have to do with the main quote in the beginning of the book ("The fact that I am writing to you in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell you."). The English version attempts to make those who may not be fully aware of the Latino/Latina immigrant experience understand what they go through. In Drown He is trying to convey the feelings of drowning, and subsequent actions, hardships, and desires, that those immigrants are faced with when they come. He is attempting to make that one of the central messages.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Spanish version has a seemingly less dramatic title (Negocios/Business) because those who live in the communities that experience huge amounts of emigration are already aware of the drowning sensation that accompanies it. Maybe for that demographic he is trying to send the message of business as usual. He is sending the message that this is a tale about unforeseen struggle in the supposed land of opportunity, a message many are familiar with. But Diaz is still emphasizing the particulars and exemplary circumstances that make this immigration story so complicated and unique. Does anyone knows enough Spanish to look further into this? It would be really interesting to find out some differences in translation that occur.
I think that part of the reason that the title is different in spanish is that Negocios (business) as well as hard work are regarded highly in the hispanic community. They hope to create a business and find succesful jobs in America so this title could have drawn on this dream they have. It is interesting that both titles used are also titles of chapters in the book. This draws extra attention to those chapters and for some reason Diaz may have wanted to focus more on the last chapter with the spanish translation.
ReplyDeleteI think it made the book much more interesting that Diaz left out any connective tissue between the stories. It makes the book seem like a series of snapshots, and each story has a singular impression that it gives off along with the overall themes that trace their way through each of the stories. This could refer to the fragmented nature of immigrant life as well as the lack of attachment the characters in the novel seem to have with each other.
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ReplyDeleten regards to the idea that perhaps the Spanish edition was named Negocios because work is highly regarded in the Hispanic community..I wonder why he would name the English version such a depressive title with such negative connotations but name the Spanish edition an title with positive connotations. Doesn't it seem that Diaz wants to highlight the negative aspects of immigration to the US and the terrible experiences immigrants go through trying to make a new life? I feel that there is something more to the title than just wanting to highlight work..maybe someone can elaborate more?
ReplyDeleteI just got on the blog, as I did not know if people would posting on "Drown" since no one was assigned it specifically for a blog post. and although we just finished lahiri's book, I am going to comment on this one as well.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting about the title change as well, and its great that someone pointed that out---I remember seeing it on amazon earlier when I was buying the book, but then forgot all about it.
I really liked the idea that marissa presented:
"Perhaps the Spanish version has a seemingly less dramatic title (Negocios/Business) because those who live in the communities that experience huge amounts of emigration are already aware of the drowning sensation that accompanies it. Maybe for that demographic he is trying to send the message of business as usual."
Although, as she sortof said in her second comment, I don't think that he would opt out of a depressing title just because he assumes that the public already knows that it is a depressing topic. it is clear what the information is trying to convery and I don't think that a title will change the message completely.
I am not sure about how clearly the word "drown" translates into Spanish, and it could possibly have a more specific context and be less able to be used metaphorically or something like that. I thought it was interesting as well that
the cover of the Spanish version had someone jumping into water on the cover
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ME6FSW1DL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
which seemingly would pair with the drown title
better than "business."
I am thoroughly confused as to why "negocios"
would have been used. I think that the "business as usual idea" is a good one, and is in some ways just as depressing as drown in that context.
I was thinking there may be some connection to
the idea presented by Jo Jo that Papi's way out
of his situation is through owning a business.
So that is sort of a specific example of a way out of the situation? even though it was not followed up on by Papi.
I am really not sure though, it's a great topic that I wish had been discussed in class.
I was just fascinated with the layout of this book. I kept questioning whether the story was about the same character or if I was changing back and forth between different people. At first this bothered me a little bit because I found the story a bit hard to follow. Then after finishing the story and thinking about it a little more I was very impressed with the author's ability to create a storyline with such a basic character that it could have been more than one person. I juts feel like this was a great way to illustrate the culture and lifestyle he was trying to portray. What a great and beautiful collection of stories!!
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