Beli’s story culminates with a chance encounter on an airplane on its way to New York. There she meets the future father of Oscar and Lola. Her segment of the story also marks the most obvious symbolism of Dominican mythology provided by Diaz yet; the beating she takes, and her eventual rescue are ripe with the Haitian imagery seen before in Krik? Krak! An adequate choice, considering Beli’s part of the tale marks the first instances of Fuku laid against the family (and her first instance challenging that curse).
Obviously, Diaz intended for this to be a primary intro to the story, it is here that we see the circumstances under which Oscar and Lola were conceived. Seeing Beli suffer brings into context her relationship with both of her offspring and further cements he family’s beliefs in the Fuku curse. Most importantly, providing Beli’s backstory humanizes her more and helps the reader sympathize with her plight. Which leads to the framing device that Diaz chooses to employ in the novel. Rather than take a linear approach or a flashback narrative, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao develops in an almost twisted timeline. This keeps things interesting by showing us developments that occur over time, then going back and providing the details hat lead to those developments, giving the novel a noir-like quality.
As the book’s narrative continues to encompass more characters, I look forward to seeing how they intertwine with Oscar’s demise.
Díaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. NY: Riverhead Books. 2007. Print.
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