In “Ysrael,” the lack of quotation marks helps to integrate
Rafa’s dialogue into Yunior’s exposition, thus creating a closer sense of
psychic distance where a reader experiences the world as Yunior would.Psychic distance can be defined as how
close "the narrative stands, relative to a character”
(Darwin). It is the level of intimacy the narrative voice has in terms of a character’s thoughts and perceptions.
Diaz never employs quotation marks in his stories, but this stylistic choice felt most effective to me in “Ysrael.” Although there are places where other characters speak without punctuation, I believe Rafa, as Yunior’s older brother and a major speaker in the piece, has the greatest influence and integration into Yunior’s narrative voice. Because of this, I have chosen to examine Rafa’s dialogue in particular.
One of the first pieces of dialogue in the story is delivered by Rafa, who declares the campo to be “shit” after Yunior gives the reader a lengthy description of the place (Diaz 4). Without quotation marks, Rafa’s declaration feels as though it is a part of the narration because it has become a part of Yunior’s perception. Although he may or may not agree with Rafa, Yunior has processed Rafa’s words and molded it into his description of the landscape. Simultaneously, Rafa’s words become a part of Yunior’s own narration. The psychic distance is so close that as readers, we are processing the landscape through Rafa’s words, just as Yunior does.
Later, after the two boys get off of the bus, Yunior incorporates more of Rafa’s harsh dialogue in the middle of description and action in a way that synthesizes the three kinds of information (13). First, Yunior says that Rafa takes in the “lay of the land,” which serves as a spatial transition in the text. Next, Rafa’s words are quoted without dialogue tags: “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll leave you.” It is clear that this is Rafa speaking because he has been chastising Yunior for crying in previous paragraphs. However, this unpunctuated dialogue is followed immediately by more exposition. Rafa starts walking toward “a shack that was rusting in the sun.” Rafa’s voice telling Yunior to stop crying has become a part of Yunior’s voice. Although readers know Rafa is speaking, it is impossible for them to visually separate Yunior’s voice from Rafa’s.
The pattern of Rafa’s chastisement of Yunior becoming part of the younger boy’s thought processes continues later in the scene (14). The paragraph starts with an action, Rafa spitting, and continues with his dialogue, a critical lecture to Yunior that he has “to get tougher,” reminding him that their father hasn’t been crying for “the last six years." Rafa turns away from Yunior and begins to interact with the landscape by “crackling through the weeds.” Yunior’s narration surrounds Rafa’s dialogue, swallowing his older brother’s words and allowing them to assimilate into his own perception.
Throughout “Ysrael,” Yunior’s perceptions of the world blend with the dialogue of others, thus pulling readers into the vivid experience the young boy has of his surroundings. The strongest voice to assimilate into his consciousness belongs to his older brother, Rafa. As the story unfolds, Rafa’s dialogue lies deeply entrenched in Yunior’s exposition, giving readers a more intimate experience of Yunior’s perception.
Works Cited
Darwin, Emma. "Psychic Distance: What It Is and How To Use It." The Itch of Writing. n.d., n.p. Web. <http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/psychic-distance-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it.html>
A very interesting reading! I think you make a lot of strong points.
ReplyDeleteI also think the lack of quotations makes Rafa an internal agent in Yunior. Because Yunior's father has been in America, Rafa is both brother and father-figure for Yunior, even though he is only a few years older. I believe this is the kind of relationship that the lack of quotations encourages. Just as we take our parent's words and make them our own when we are young, Yunior does the same thing with Rafa. This is why Yunior is so easily persuaded to change his perception of the landscape, and to join in on beating up Ysrael (18). The lack of quotations and the sparse dialogue tags give the words a lack of ownership, hinting that one day it could be Yunior saying these exact words. Where there is a disagreement in dialogue between Rafa and Yunior, it is guaranteed that by the end of the conversation, both boys will see the situation from Rafa’s point of view.
I think the last paragraph really hit home. Throughout the stories (in relationships and in plot), Yunior takes the stance of a passive observer. So I agree that his world is directly impacted by what everyone says, and thus no quotation marks.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good topic. You made some good points through Rafa's influence over junior. The dialogue in this story really was intertwined with the setting and actions, making this style very unique and effective. I'm glad you thought to bring it up specifically. This is perhaps the best part of Diaz's writing.
ReplyDeleteDo you think, then, that this is the purpose the lack of quotations is intended for throughout the entirety of Drown? In all three stories we read for class, as well as the others I've seen from Diaz, the same technique is throughout.
ReplyDeleteI like the interpretation, I just wonder if the same reading holds up throughout.
Hi Dan! I really wanted to respond to your comment because I think it raises an excellent point. My rpost was less about Yunior being influenced by Rafa (although I think he is, which is why I felt examining Rafa's dialogue would be most powerful), but rather about Diaz using the lack of quotations to show in an intimate way how his characters are processing the world around them.
DeleteWhen I sit in class, I may hear a person's opinion on something and although I may disagree with them, their words have entered into my thought processes at a very close level. There are no quotation marks in real life. There are, one could argue, three mental actions I can after this: the first two are that I can choose to take what they say exactly and change my opinion or I can reject their opinion completely and hold to my own 100%. However, I'm skeptical of the reality of these two courses of action due to subjectivity. Although someone may convey their opinion in words, the barrier of language stops me from fully understanding their actual thoughts. I'm left to process it according to my usage of language. I then compare what they say against my own experiences and judge from there. The third option, and the one I believe to be most plausible, is that their words enter my brain, integrate into my perceptions, and affect my opinion slightly. That alteration may be one of nuance ("I never looked at it that way before...") or a more influenced one ("That's a great point. Let me re-examine my opinion and adjust accordingly" or "That's completely wrong and now I feel even stronger about my opinion after hearing theirs"). That is, of course, not every option exactly. But basically, in the end, everything people say around us *does* affect us at some level. Rafa has a huge impact on Yunior, which is why I chose him, but the characters in Negocios also have an effect on Ramon, even if he is far, far less impressionable than Yunior.