Question of the Narrator in "Ysrael"

Ysrael The narrator and his brother, Rafa embark on a journey to find some mysterious child with a deformed face, Ysrael. Their journey represents a voyage of discovery, experience, and a sense of brotherhood.  It is mentioned on page 5, "I didn't mind these summers, wouldn't forget them the way Rafa would.  Back home in the Captial, Rafa had his own friends, a bunch of tigueres who liked to knock down our neighbors and who scrawled chocha and toto on walls and curbs.  Back in the Capital he rarely said anything to me except Shut up, pendejo".  There is a drastic transformation from not speaking any words to each other to sharing hands in a criminal act against Ysrael.  What I was wondering is what does this exploration by the narrator into the life and mind of his older brother do for him?  Do you get the sense that he will learn a productive lesson from the experience?  By this I mean what do you make of the last lines, "Rafa signaled for a stop. Get ready to run, he whispered.  I said, OK"?  Is the journey to el campo a lifestyle that ends once they return to the capital? Or is it that now that the narrator has experienced life with his brother he will want to spend more time with this destructive brother? Considering the entire text and the narrative voice do you find the narrator able to say no once he returns to the capital? And to supplement that question, do you think that Rafa has a new respect for his younger brother or will he continue to dismiss him?  Lastly, what do you make of the molestation scene?  I personally thought that it would haunt the narrator for a long time and he would have something negative to associate with the trip along with seeing the horrendous face of Ysrael and the violent act of his brother.

Comments

[Karen Woodin]

I think their relationship will stay the same. Perhaps at an inner level they have built a closer connection, but I think their behavior towards each other, and especially Rafa's toward the narrator's, will essentially remain the same when they go back to the Capital. And I say his because hurting Ysrael was not the only thing that they did together when they were not in the capital; so I can imagine that there had been many other moments in which they got closer. I think the bottom line is that their relationship in the Capital is not determined by how close or not they are to each other, but rather that Rafa is being 'cool' by not hanging out with his little brother, and that the reason they get along so well in this place is because they are so bored, and are all each other has.
About the molestation scene, as I mentioned in class, to me it was an example of how Rafa and the narrator were so alone, of how there were no parental figures, and of how this translated into vulnerability. I agree with you in that this was probably something that haunted the narrator...he at least remembers it well enough to write it in this story.

[Tracey L]

Hmm, I guess that is a good way to describe the molestation scene..I couldnt really find the exact words to describe it. Anyway, in terms of whether Yunior learns from Rafa- I dont really think he does. What he does learn from is the experience of being in the campo.

As for this part of the story that you mention: Rafa signaled for a stop. Get ready to run, he whispered. I said, OK", I think its just of demonstration of yet another struggle they have to go through. They're always ready to go, to face the next task at hand.

[Michael Mirochnik]

I agree with the molestation reasoning that Karen outlines above. It is an experience that would undoubtedly haunt the narrator, Yunior, in some way. In addition, I agree with Lulu’s point that the part where Rafa “signaled for a stop. Get ready to run, he whispered” (20) represents another struggle they must face. What I would like to add, however, is that Yunior’s perception of his brother has greatly altered by the conclusion of this story. Yunior comes to realize that Rafa is not the “cool” brother he had perceived him to be. Instead, the narrator realizes that his brother is no more than a bully. This comes out in their exchange in regards to Ysrael’s physical appearance: Yunior asserts “Ysrael will be OK,” to which Rafa responds “Don’t bet on it,” but Yunior firmly states “They’re going to fix him” (19). This represents a rift in the developing brotherly relationship; however, instead of reverting back to its original state, the relationship will have evolved into one in which Yunior will no longer think of his brother as a “cool” kid but instead as a antagonistic and belligerent bully.

[Lulu Garcia]

In the story, Rafa is essentially Yunior's caretaker. He is older and Yunior is in his care when they're out roaming the D.R. When Yunior is molested, he and Rafa are on the bus and Rafa is busy trying to cheat the driver out of their fares. "Get to the back, Rafa said... I lowered myself stiffly into my seat...Rafa wasn't watching." Naturally, Rafa had no idea that his brother would happen to sit next to the pervert on the bus, but I thought this scene was another example of the negative effect Rafa's bad influence and negligence had on Yunior.

[Katie Klymko]

I agree with Karen that their outer relationship will pretty much remain the same. However, I think this moment also signaled an internal separation between the two, at least on the side of the narrator. Up until now, I had the feeling that he respected his brother and wanted to be with him despite harsh periods of treatment. But this seemed to be the point where the difference between the two, the injustice that we have been well aware of, is made clear to the narrator. I think their interactions will remain similar to those before they saw Ysrael, but the narrator will not think of his brother in the same way.

[Jennifer H.]

As much as I dislike Rafa’s character, I don’t think he is entirely bad. Rafa is far from being a good example of the ideal citizen for Yunior to follow and hurts Yunior. Nonetheless, he does try to look out for his younger brother. If he really wanted, Rafa could have left the bus by himself and let Yunior fend for himself. Instead, Rafa tells Yunior to run with him so that they both can escape out of trouble. After their Ysrael incident, Rafa and Yunior will still probably be close, but not as close as before since Yunior realizes and disagrees with Rafa’s evil character.

[Sierra Hills]

I saw the guy's relationship as the typical brother brother relationship. The older brother has to tell the younger brother something once to explain the ways of the world to him so that way he knows how to be like the person that's superior to him. It mirrors the way that the government had to explain things to its civilians and if they don't understand..they will understand in the end. I figured since this was a coming of age story, him following his brother was an indication that he's crossed over. Or since they're both bored, he's doing it so that way they can have something to do.

A lot of speculation, but no definite idea

[Zach Lundin]

I like Sierra's comment about the brotherly relationship mirroring government a lot - especially given the political history of the D.R. We talked a little bit about this in class, but I think there's a lot of weight to be held in the fact that this story is post-Trujillo, who, despite being ridiculously brutal and fascist, was also very patriarchal - two things which seem to historically have gone hand in hand. I continue to think of this severe distinction when I remember my own time in the D.R., when I would read about the terrible torture techniques and assassinations perpretated by Trujillo's men, while at the same time, abuelos that I would talk to would reminisce about how, when Trujillo was president, you could sleep in the middle of the street with your wallet over your chest and wake up perfectly safe, with all your money still there. Call me crazy, but I see in Yunior and Rafa's relationship a bit of this patriarchal backfiring. There is an authoritarianism present which, while well-intentioned, goes completely awry, and results in a very profound disconnect between Rafa and Yunior. I agree with Jennifer, Rafa's not all bad, but because he refuses to question his own actions, he's definitely not doing everything right.

[Christine Yeh]

I agree with Katie that at this point, Yunior and Rafa's exterior relationship will stay pretty much the same, although Yunior's molestation and the abuse inflicted on Ysrael will serve as one of th e steps leading from innocence to experience. Yunior has just had his first taste of the real world, but it is not enough to fully change his personality yet. This is evidenced by Yunior's insistence that "Ysrael will be ok" (19), to which Rafa responds, "They aren't going to do shit to him."

[Eric Rosenberg]

Fundamentally, Yunior and Rafa can never have the same relationship again. On the practical level, it may look the same, but in actuality, Rafa will never have Yunior's true respect ever again after seeing Rafa's behavior about Ysrael. there is a bit of loss of innocence for Yunior on this journey he makes with Rafa. By getting away from home, he gets exposed to experiences that threaten to alter his previous relationship with Rafa. Time with Rafa before was thought to be a valuable commodity, but now Yunior sees that Rafa is not really worth that much respect. I think Yunior can now become his own person in society independent of Rafa, who he respected too much before the journey.