Fiesta 1980

Fiesta, 1980
Christy Lamacki
Literature Appreciation
Jennifer Ambrose

As children, we look up to our parents for guidance and knowledge. What they do and how they act can influence our lives in a major way. In Fiesta 1980, Diaz demonstrates the ill effects a terrible father can have on his children through the narration of a young boy named Yunior. Yunior is a Hispanic boy who just immigrated to the United States with his family. The family consists of a mother, father, two sons and a daughter. His refers to his father as Papi and his mother as Mami. He has a younger sister named Madai and an older brother named Rafa. It is tough on the family to pick up and move from their home. Not only do the kids try hard to fit in, but they also struggle with their home life. Their father is portrayed by Diaz as a womanizer, an abuser and a cheater. He is tearing apart his children’s lives by having an affair with another woman. The fact that they know about the affair and cannot tell their mother is killing them. Yunior seems to be affected the most by his father’s behaviors. By the plot and the use of characters, Diaz does a great job showing how children can be traumatized by their parent’s actions.
The story Fiesta 1980 takes place in the Bronx New Jersey. The family moved there when they left the Dominican Republic. Mami’s youngest sister finally made it to the United States that same year and they decided to have a party to celebrate. The family was getting ready to head to the party when the dad finally decided to show up. The children made sure they were ready or Papi “would have kicked our asses”(Diaz, 1996, p.95). The kids were very frightened of their father. He seemed to be a very intimidating man. Rafa was the oldest of the children. He wasn’t as frightened as Yunior and Madai were.

The conflict of the story was between Papi and Yunior. Papi seemed to dislike Yunior the most. Yunior said, “I was the one who was always in trouble with my dad. It was like my God-given duty to piss him off” (p. 97). He refered to his father as, “My Father the Torturer” (p. 99). The fights didn’t bother Yunior as much though. After everything his father has done, he still loves him.
The first fight starts when Yunior decides to eat before goin to the party. Papi didn’t allow him to eat if he was about to ride in his van. Yunior gets sick every time he rides in his father’s van. Yunior says, “I’ve never had trouble with cars before-that van was like my curse” (p. 97) . Diaz is implying that the van is like Papi. He’s not really getting sick because he has car sickness. He is getting sick because of what the van represents. It represents his father’s infidelity. He first met his dad’s mistress while he was in the van. He associates the van with his father’s infidelity. His cheating makes Yunior sick. Although he gets sick, he still looks forward to his short trips with his father. He is craving his father’s attention. Maybe getting sick is a way to get attention.
They are finally on their way to the party. Yunior almost made it the whole ride without throwing up. However, right before they arrived it happened. Papi wasn’t too happy about it either and wasn’t going to let it go unnoticed. Papi was imaginative when it came to punishments. Yunior says, “Papi was pissed and jammed his finger into my cheek” (p. 99). He didn’t yell and scream at him. He did it in a way that let Yunior know he was serious.

When they arrived at the party, they were greeted by their family. Everyone seemed to be having a good time cooking and talking. Diaz introduces the Hispanic heritage by talking about the foods they are preparing. It was “Dominican tradition” (p. 103). During the party is when another altercation between Yunior and Papi happened. Yunior was very excited about eating all of the wonderful food. However, his Papi wouldn’t allow it. As soon as Yunior got a plate, Papi grabbed it out of his hands. He said, “oh no you don’t” (p. 103). Once again, Papi didn’t want him to eat because he had to ride home in the van. Yunior didn’t want to fight back, so he quietly went and sat in the next room. Yunior’s aunt didn’t want him to go hungry, so she snuck him some food. They went and sat outside while he ate.
After dinner, all of the adults were having fun dancing and singing. Yunior just sat there and watched his mother. Deep down he was hoping that someone would tell his mother about the affair. He wanted his Papi ratted out. However, no one did. After everyone had their fun, they headed home. During the car ride home, Yuniors parents were very quiet. His dad made a gesture that confused Yunior. He put his hand on his mother’s knee. Deep down I think that Mami knew about the affair but didn’t ever mention it.
Diaz did a great job portraying Yunior as a young boy who was starved, from both food and affection. Not only does he want his dad’s attention, he also wants people to stick up for him. His mother doesn’t ever stand up to Papi, nor does his brother or sister. He feels all alone and helpless. His family doesn’t see it, but Yunior is deeply affected by all of this. As I stated in the beginning, children look up to their parents. They need to teach by example. Hopefully, Yunior will learn how not to be like his parents.

References
Diaz, J. (1996). Fiesta, 190. In P. Shreve, & B. M. Nguyen (Eds.), 30/30 Thirty American stories from the last thirty years (pp. 95-107). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

References: Diaz, J. (1996). Fiesta, 190. In P. Shreve, & B. M. Nguyen (Eds.), 30/30 Thirty American stories from the last thirty years (pp. 95-107). New York, NY: Pearson Education.