The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Act 1, Preface Quotes
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Act 1, Preface Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Act.Chapter.Section.Paragraph), (Act.Special Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
For those of you who missed your mandatory two seconds of Dominican history: Trujillo, one of the twentieth century's most infamous dictators, ruled the Dominican Republic between 1930 and 1961 with an implacable ruthless brutality. A portly, sadistic, pig-eyed mulato who bleached his skin, wore platform shoes, and had a fondness for Napoleon-era haberdashery, Trujillo (also known as El Jefe [The Boss], the Failed Cattle Thief, and Fuckface) came to control nearly every aspect of the DR's political, social, and economic life through a potent (and familiar) mixture of violence, intimidation, massacre, rape, co-optation, and terror. (1.preface.3)
Trujillo had almost total power over every aspect of Dominican life. One of Díaz's points in this book is that too much power can make anyone a little weird. When Trujillo, who was already more than a little out there, achieves total power, he starts bleaching his skin and wearing platform shoes and Napoleon-era clothes. The problem is that no one has the guts to say: "Hey, you're doing some bizarre stuff, Trujillo." Probably because if they did, he'd have 'em killed, lickety split.
Quote 2
They say it first came from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation through the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles. Fukú americanus, or more colloquially, fukú—generally a curse or a doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World. (1.preface.1)
This novel talks a lot about fukú, a curse that seems to strike at a number of levels. Fukú can strike one person (our friend Oscar Wao), a whole family (the de León family), a nation (the Dominican Republic), or even an entire region (the New World). In this paragraph, Díaz introduces the idea of fukú. At this point, it seems like the fukú is general to the New World. Later, we'll see how it has affected Oscar in particular.
Quote 3
It's perfectly fine if you don't believe in these "superstitions." In fact, it's better than fine—it's perfect. Because no matter what you believe, fukú believes in you. (1.preface.6)
It seems like a lot of folks in the Dominican Republic believe in fukú. Some don't, however, and consider fukú to be a superstition. Our narrator reminds us that no matter what you believe, fukú still exists. Yunior will spend the rest of the novel trying to convince you that fukú exists. And that it can do some serious damage.