“Drown” has something of a dual narrative. On it’s surface, it describes the end of a friendship over matters of sexual experimentation; underneath it’s surface, it documents the narrators uncertainty and anxiety over his own future, only further exacerbated by his friend Beto’s advances and the confusion it causes him.
In the first two parts of the story, the narrator explains his reluctance to talk to Beto by simply stating that he’s become a “pato”, and therefore is no longer worthy of his association. Unlike simple-minded bigotry (which tends to incite more anger), the narrator simply states it as a matter-of-fact, foreshadowing that he knows this because of first-hand experience. Despite his nonchalant attitude, we immediately go on to see how close he and Beto were: “we were raging then, crazy the way we stole, broke windows, the way we pissed on people’s steps and then challenged them to come out and stop us”. This close friendship is only further brought to prominence by the narrator’s home life, with his quiet, paranoid, and long-suffering mother. The description of their relationship evokes feelings of isolation; along with his absentee father, the implication is that Beto and his mother are the two closest people to the narrator. But in losing Beto to his own discomfort and his mother’s emotional availability to his father’s infidelity, the narrator doesn’t quite have anyone left.
This is only made more miserable when we take into account the narrator’s prospects for the future (or lack-there-of). He is accosted by a military recruiter, who tries to entice him into joining by reminded him of all the things he lacks, and will likely never have (in his words, “a house, a car, a gun and a wife”). And later in the story, towards the end, the narrator mentions a teacher at his highschool very frankly saying that he doesn’t believe most of his students will make anything of themselves; the narrator wholly applies this to himself, believing that he has no prospects in life.
His lack of emotional support, coupled with his bleak future, casts an extremely bleak overcast over the entire story. The narrator is speaking to us, and yet, he could be anyone with a similar set of circumstances. Knowing that the narrators situation is not especially unique is what brings both of these components home.
This story was boring, “lol”, sorry.
“Drown”, is a typical urban story about two young men finding themselves, through sexuality, having adventures, growing up in the hood. I found myself really going back to my childhood because everything the narrator was talking about I basically related to it because, I was poor, boosted-(shoplifted), an had a best friend that looked up to me. So this story was all to familiar.
However I will say I agree with everything Leila mention about the story in her post. The narrator did beat himself up a lot, internalizing everything someone said to him, by taking very personal. He was very emotional, but didn’t know how to express himself. He beat himself up mostly, because of his relationship with Beto, and him not having much growing up- being poor. I believe the relationship with his mother played a big part– him not trusting anyone, his father mostly temporarily in their lives most of the time when he was a child. So that disappointment he had for his father he associated it with Beto. His mother had high hopes for his father her getting back together. He didn’t want that with Beto– the thought of him in love lingering in his mind: “He handed me a gift, a book, and after he was gone I threw it away, didn’t even bother to open it and read what he’d written.” (Diaz,1249). I thought about how his mother would let him know that Beto was looking for him, and he would be so unfazed.
I really thought about the sexual relationship Beto and the narrator experience, I believe he didn’t like it, and he just was afraid of Beto. I think he mostly felt betrayed by him: The next day he called and when I heard his voice I was cool but I wouldn’t go to the mall or anywhere else.”,(Diaz, 1247). There was no more brother hood left for that relationship. However he still had love for him but from a distance. I believe the friendship was over for him, and Beto knew it.