El uso de español no traducido

In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the Spanish language and culture of the Dominican Republic influence Oscar’s family by acting as a concrete connection to their native culture. The use of untranslated Spanish makes the reader feel as though he is an outsider who cannot completely connect to or understand the characters. The language barrier imitates that of the language barrier between Hispanic immigrants and non-Spanish-speaking American citizens. For example, in the scene where Lola runs away from her family and Oscar comes to give her money and betrays her by bringing along her mother, Beli falls on the ground and when Lola goes back for her she realizes her mother was just faking and her mother says “Ya te tengo…Te tengo” (70). This means, “I’ve got you” in Spanish, however, the sentiment behind it by using the language she knows her daughter understands, she asserts a certain authority over her daughter by reminding her of her heritage and duty to her family, as well as fear for the choices she has made in trying to run away. The Spanish creates a connection that only the immigrants can understand, and the reader, if he does not speak Spanish, is left in the dark as to what might be happening, with no attempt to account for outsiders understanding, just like a Dominican-American would do in spoken conversation. The Spanish draws upon their heritage, especially when Oscar is in Santo Domingo at any point in the novel. He knows his Spanish is not that good, and yet his use of it ties him back to his roots, back to his being dominicano. He insists that he is Dominican, and his Spanish proves that. By not providing a translation, Diaz shows that Dominican culture is one of acceptance: either one is accepted and part of that culture, or is not. Simple as that. By continuing to speak Spanish even when they are in the U.S., they show that they embrace their heritage and refuse to lose something so important as their native tongue. Creo que es muy importante que Diaz usa español, porque sin el uso del idioma, no hay conexión a la tierra de que ellos vinieron. Serían como otros inmigrantes, como los de Europa que ahora han perdido sus propios idiomas. I think it is very important that Diaz uses Spanish, because without the use of the language, there is not a connection to the land from which they came. They would be like other immigrants, like those from Europe who have lost their own languages.