“A few of you are going to make it. Those are the orbiters. But the majority of you are just going to burn out. Going nowhere” (1248).
This comparison by one of Yunior’s teachers captures the never-ending repetition of the depressing routine Yunior in willingly drowning in.
We being the short story by diving straight into the reason why Yunior is recalling the said experiences – Beto coming back to the neighborhood. Immediately following the account of his conversation with his mother about Beto’s arrival, Yunior begins his recount of the past with Beto and his descriptions of experiences without Beto.
I differentiate between “recounts” and “descriptions” because “Drown” is a mixture of both. In this story, Diaz breaks the narrative into pieces that, like an undated diary, do not have transitions. However, there is a distinction between the entries that involve Beto and those that don’t.
When Yunior recounts his experiences with Beto, he goes into details about non-repetitive events. For example, when Yunior recounts his homosexual experience with Beto, he starts the entry with “Twice. That’s it” (1247). The details he gives are directly related to those two unique experiences, such as the details of the event and his reactions following the event. Even when Yunior recalls his numerous shoplifting experiences with Beto, he cites specific examples that let readers know are single occurrences: “He even talked to mall security… and me, standing ten feet away, shitting my pants” (1244). Despite Yunior stating that his and Beto’s shoplifting was a common occurrence, he goes into specific details surrounding each event.
In contrast to these recounts including Beto, Yunior describes his experiences without Beto as repetitive ones. We are able to see this difference through the opening sentences of the entries without Beto. For example, when Yunior describes his outings to the mall with his mom, he says, “Saturdays she asks me to take her to the mall” (1244), implying that this is a common occurrence. Further into the entry, when Yunior is locking the windows, he says, “With the air conditioner on we never open windows but I go through the routine anyway” (1244). By using the word “routine” (1244), we see that what Yunior described is a repetitive event that always occurs when he and his mom go to the mall on Saturdays. When Yunior describes his bar experiences, he begins by saying “Nights I drink with Alex and Danny” (1245); when he talks about his morning exercises, he says, “In the mornings I run” (1245); whenever he is out running, he “[keeps] an eye out for the recruiter who prowls around our neighborhood” (1245).
Through his differentiation, we can see that Yunior’s life is not going anywhere. Now that Beto, the source of Yunior’s non-repetitive experiences, has moved away, Yunior is left with repetitive routines that leave him static. Just like the teacher said, Yunior is “going nowhere” (1248). Even Yunior, himself, recognizes this, when he says “I could already see myself losing altitude, fading, the earth spread out beneath me, hard and bright” (1248). However, we do not see any indications of Yunior struggling as he continues to drown and burn out.
You’ve raised an interesting point saying that he’s drowning because hes burned out. When I read the story, I somewhat got a different interpretation out of it. I feel that because of all these events happening in his life he feels, to a certain degree, guilty. His father have left the family, in the scene when they went to the mall and shop, he was the one providing the money for his mother. He mentions that she would receive $100 from his father, but he could only provide her $50. In my perspective, hes drowning in ambiguity because his future is vague. By shoplifting, trespassing and drug dealing, at any given moment he could end up in jail, leaving his mother alone. Her mother is also not tall enough to lock the windows, and if she can’t check it chances are, their home can be broken into. The author also puts the emphasis on “locking the window” because Lorena got lazy, a black men broke in and punched her in the face, ate all her food and made phone calls. At the end of the story, when he woke her mother up, the very words she said was “You better check those windows, she says.” and he says “I promise her I will” which is how I derived that he’s drowning in ambiguity and guilt. His future is not promising, and if he gets placed in jail, the same situation that happened to Lorena, could happen to his very own mother.
While I enjoy your points when speaking of his routines, it is important to remember that he was still in high school as he told this story. And while I agree that Yunior is drowning, I believe that there should be more focus on why there is a distinct difference between the recounts of experiences with Beto and without him. I think that there is still a deep underlying connection between his experiences with Beto and that’s why he speaks in greater detail about those instances. Beto is still influencing him through all of the holds that he had on Yunior while they were still hanging out. My interest is in figuring out why exactly that is. Why a year after Beto had left, Yunior is stil very much affected by their encounters and their experiences in general. I also wonder if that is what is keeping him from having a bright future because he was at first described to be bright, as seen in how jealous Beto got when he demonstrated his knowledge of the word “expectorating.” I wonder if he is able to fix himself and his future if he ever confronts Beto.
I was actually confused by Yuniors first homosexual experience with Beto. The first time I read it, I thought he was raped. Yunior never consented to having sexual relations with Beto and expressed his shock. I didn’t understand why he would let it occur a second time but I think I know why. Yunior said that he valued his friendship with Beto and was willing to forget about the incident. Yunior realizes that the friendship has ended after the second encounter and leaves. Yunior’s mother doesn’t know how to let go of his father. A relationship with Yuniors father is unhealthy and Yunior knows that which is why he hangs the phone up for his mother when she calls him. I believe thats why Yunior had trouble letting go of Beto at first. Beto was his best friend and someone who helped him cope with the harsh environment they lived in. Yes, Yunior is lost because of his home environment and all the mistakes he’s made but he is also lost because of what happened between him and Beto. Yunior is male which works against him. Who is he supposed to talk about it with? Men aren’t usually thought of as victims of rape. No apology was given by Beto. There is no closure. Yunior is floating around lost because of the secret he is keeping.
In addition to the earlier comment I made, the point was: In high school unless you are fortunate enough to live in the city like we do, you go through the same routines all the time. I had gone to school in a suburban town and with a few exceptions, my weeks were generally following the same routine.**
You have raised some interested points. I believe that all of Yunior’s actions are adding up the the drowning he is dealing with. He has not been dealt the best deck of cards in life but seems to be making decisions in regards to what his society “expects” him to do.
He’s has been described as a bright kid in the novel but I feel he is pressured into taking actions that are not best of him because of outside sources. His mother seems to play an important figure in his life since she is the only one who he has left. Even with his current situation he always tries to make his happy. One of the comments above said that if he continues down this path he’ll end up in jail. With no future, no plan, he seems to be sinking with only a matter of time before he’s out of air, drowning.