Aguantando, Junot Diaz Essay

Luis R. Ramos
English Comp 2
Prof. Marion Stewart Titus
September 21st, 2012

Aguantando
By Junot Diaz

“Aguantando” means holding on. In the very first paragraph we see how important it is for the narrator, Yunior, to hold on to his father’s memory. Yunior lives with his mother (Mami), grandfather (Abuelo) and brother (Rafa). They live in a house where anything of value, including furniture, food, clothing and even Mami’s Bible is stained from a leaky roof. As a Hispanic male, believe me when I tell you there is nothing more sacred than Mami’s Bible in that home. Yet it is clear how important Papi’s pictures are because they’re always in a plastic sandwich bag to keep them dry. It’s also clear that Papi leaving was the …show more content…
Even though he acted out, Yunior still loved his mom. When she sat alone on the porch, he would playfully throw twigs at her to make her laugh and even though he tried to hide it, he was always excited when Mami picked him up at their relatives’ house. The title “Holding On” applies to Yunior more than any member of the family. Even though he says he “did not think of him often” and “couldn’t remember a single moment with him”, clearly he does miss Papi. Yunior says “it’s hard for me to imagine myself this way, crazy about Papi”, but in the end of the story, that’s exactly how he feels. When Yunior describes Papi’s return, at first he compares him to Jesus. He imagines Papi taller, driving a nice car, wearing nice clothes and shoes. Everyone would come out to meet him as if he were a conquering hero returning from the war. I think the title “Aguantando” is appropriate because the narrator Yunior is holding on to the dream of Papi returning. When somebody dies, you cry, wear black and mourn, but eventually you move on. Yunior and his family never get that closure, instead of moving on they’re just holding

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