The Sun, the Moon, the Stars Essay | Critical Essay #1

The Sun, the Moon, the Stars Critical Essay #1

Remy is a freelance writer in Warrington, Florida. In this essay, Remy considers Díaz's methods of characterization.

In "The Sun, the Moon, the Stars," Junot Díaz creates a narrator who is at once charming, naïve, and disingenuous. Nevertheless, Yunior is an engaging character, one who practically leaps off the page in an effort to convince readers—and himself—that, despite appearances to the contrary, he really is not such a "bad guy." Because Yunior seems genuinely perplexed by past events, the reader is at first sympathetic and eager to learn more about his romantic troubles. As the reader soon discovers, however, Yunior is his own worst enemy, and his word remains suspect. Thus, through Yunior's use of language and the disparity between his thought and action, Díaz brings Yunior's character to light in a display of first-person narration fraught with unintended revelations.

One way in which Díaz portrays Yunior's character...
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