Junot Diaz's short story collection Drown explores the tensions and complexities of the immigrant experience, focusing on the lives of young men moving between the realms of Dominican and American culture. A core theme evident in Diaz's stories is the toxic influence of oppressive masculine ideologies and how they shape the men and boys depicted in his works. Using various examples from the stories, this essay will analyze the drowning effect of the dominant view of masculinity on male characters and their relationships. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay The Drowning Effect of Toxic Masculinity The overall theme of Diaz's Drown is encapsulated in the story "Ysrael," in which the character eponymous is presented as a boy who wears a mask to hide his facial deformity from others. Here, Ysrael exemplifies the standard of toxic masculinity that Diaz presents in his collection, defined as physical power and control. Ysrael's obsession with the mask he wears shows his desire to hide his flaws and vulnerabilities, an attitude that characterizes the way the men in the collection perceive themselves and interact with others. Ysrael's desire to protect herself from the judgment and rejection of others leads to an obsession with her appearance, a theme that recurs in many of the collection's stories. For example, Yunior, in “No Face,” reinforces the connection between masculinity and appearance as he struggles with acne that causes him to lose confidence and question his worth as a man. Thus, attention to how masculine identities are linked to appearance highlights the complex and pervasive influence that societal expectations of masculinity have on men and boys. Another common thread in Diaz's stories is the theme of the absent father figure. The absence of fathers in the collection is symbolic of the patriarchal society that expects men to be the breadwinners, decision-makers and leaders of the family. This expectation places immense pressure on men to provide financially and emotionally, as evidenced by Yunior in "Fiesta, 1980", whose father neglects him in favor of his own pursuit of pleasure. Yunior is portrayed as an emotionally sensitive child who finds himself in the gaps of his parents' failing relationship, leading him to generalize and make decisions that negatively affect his own relationships with women. Diaz uses Yunior to illustrate how the expectations of a male figure to be reliable and provide for the family can leave men without the tools to engage in healthy relationships. In summary, men's obsession with appearance is fueled by their need to fit within the confines of gender norms, which are continually upheld by the toxic components of a patriarchal society. Diaz uses analytical elements that highlight how men, as agents of patriarchy, create tension. and have a negative impact on their own lives and the lives of others. The collection of short stories deals with the effects of masculinity on the boys and men who embody it and those with whom they interact in their lives. The characters' toxic behavior is often rooted in the way they view themselves as the providers of the family and society's expectations of them as physically strong, emotionless beings. Diaz's stories can be seen as a way to show how these ideals.