Drown Chapter Summary & Analysis | Chapter Ten, "Negocios"

Chapter Ten, "Negocios" Summary

Throughout the loosely related stories, Yunior reflects again and again on the recurring pain of his father's abandonment, not only when Papi takes a mistress in Dominica, but also later when he leaves and just disappears to America. This story reveals the truth of what happens to the father. True, Papi is no saint. He is revealed as a bully and an abusive controller in the earlier stories; however, Papi also falls prey to difficult circumstances which prevent him from coming home and taking care of his family when he would really like to.

The troubles get worse when Mami refuses to talk to Papi, furious because Papi has a mistress. Papi really wants to make things right, take the family to America, make a new beginning—or so he says. He is not worried enough to stop his infidelity, not until he realizes, waking in a cold sweat, that Mami's...
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