Ramon, the
father in Negocios hides his greedy intentions behind a mask to fool the people
closest to him into believing that they are more than just tools to him. Despite the fact that what he is doing is
actually for himself, and not them.
There are even times where he has himself fooled, when talking over a
game of dominos with Needle, the chief cook Ramon states “I’m not forgetting
them, (his family) right now is just not a good time for me to send for
them. You should see my bills.”(187) Needle asks him what bills? And after
thinking Ramon replies Electricity, my house has 88 light bulbs.
After
being caught by his wife cheating with another woman, and being kicked out,
Ramon is scared that the money his father-in-law promised him, along with his
golden ticket to America was vanishing from his grasp. The one and only time he
meets with his father-in-law he lies through his teeth telling him that he did
go to see the woman, but did nothing to shame him. He goes back to his family only after his
father-in-law tells him he will talk to his daughter, and tell her he will be
leaving for America soon.
The
mother sees through his façade and does not let him close to her again for the
rest of the time he is at home, although she puts up a façade of her own as to
not get her children suspicious. When he leaves for America she makes sure that
her children say good-bye to their father.
When
he finally makes it to New York and meets Nilda, someone who he is attracted
to, he thinks of asking her to the party. He tells himself that strange women
who go to strange places with strangers aren’t someone you want around, but
really he is thinking about the single woman that will be at the party. So he thinks it’s best to ask Nilda if she would
help him with his English, even saying he would pay her for her time, although
he had no intention to do so.
When
he finally does try to meet up with her she asks him what he is doing now, to
which he replies “I wouldn’t want to intruded” to which the narrator says he
was a sly one. This implies that he only
said this because he knew he was invited over and had every intention of going
to her house, despite what he said.
After
Nilda and Ramon are married he quickly loses interest in her. When she figures out that he has a family
back on the island, she questions him about them. “Papi had to deliver some of his most
polished performances to convince her that he no longer cared about us.” (187)
This
shows us that Ramon is a selfish man who is only motivated by his greed, he
uses his family members as tools to achieve this goal.
I can see where you would could get this idea. That Ramon is just a selfish jerk and doesn't really care about anybody but himself. However, I think when we dig a little deeper and look at what he really wants and how hard he works we might be able to rule this out. My take on Ramon is that he is a guy who gets caught up in the American dream. At times he does some dirty things in order to get his dream. But the end of the story tells us all. When he brings his kids and family over he proves that it was all for them.
ReplyDeleteWhile the ending is ambiguous, I interpreted Ramon’s final actions as getting his first family to the States but abandoning them a second time once they were there. I think Ramon sacrifices both of his families in his determination to pursue the American Dream. I agree that he’s narcissistic (and proud), but I think he’s still a more complex character. The text goes into quite a bit of detail about the many jobs he’s working and the challenges he overcomes to rise in the socioeconomic ladder. For example, he sleeps on a rug with cockroaches and walks most of the distance to New York to save some money. One moment that stood out to me in particular was when he started sending a lot of money to his family one year, more than he could afford at the time. While he may have been motivated by guilt, I think he also cared for his children and wanted to provide for them, at least to a degree. He would also call his newborn child that he had with Nilda by the names of his first family’s children. Thus, I don’t think he forgot his family but prioritized the pursuit of the American Dream in hopes that it would fix everything in the end.
ReplyDeleteI am right on board with your blog Andrew. (Selfish Absent Father) As I read through the story of Negocios I was disgusted with Ramon’s character. I did not see once glimpse of fatherhood in his behavior. Although he may have sent some money back to Virta I don’t believe that was out of goodness as much as I believe it helped sooth his bouts of guilt. He clearly lacked respect for women and showed no real responsibility towards his offspring.
ReplyDeleteIn every part of the story Ramon was motivated by his selfish desires. The money from his father in law to go to the States and the hooking up with Nilda in order gain citizenship are reflections of the crossing of ethical boundaries Ramon would go to fulfill his selfish desires.
The last line of the story indicates he went back to get his first family. Even in that I am unable to see any good in this character. If he truly did return to his first family my opinion is it was not out of responsibility, love, or an epiphany but rather a return because he had become transparent to the individuals in his new life.
The last line does have me curious as to say, was the narrator simply writing his hope of his father’s return?
Right on point Andrew…..
I definitely agree that Ramon is an absent father, but I don’t entirely view him as selfish. I can see where the idea comes from, because Ramon has more than his fair share of selfish moments – like allowing Nilda to pay all of the bills, refusing to buy a hot dog stand and work his way up, and finding excuses to put off sending for his family. It’s unfair, however, to judge Ramon purely on his selfish moments. He also sends more money than he can afford to his family at times and does end up relocating his original family to America at the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s easier to see Ramon as an absent father when reading Ysrael. This story, as opposed to Negocios, shows us the effect that Ramon’s absence has on his kids. We are able to see that his sons are forced to grow up much faster than normal children, and that they have learned to rely on themselves more than they rely on adults. Ysrael also shows us that the conditions Ramon left his children in are less than ideal – they have no air condition or electricity during the summer and spend their days hooking up with girls and causing trouble.
I feel that your portrayal of Ramon although valid, is a little one sided. Although he was an absent father, I think his character was more complex than you portrayed him. Ramon is a poor immigrant that is looking for a better life, a complex man who wants to make himself into something more than what was given to him in life. He was a bad father but he was also a human being in this story, and i feel that Junot Diaz wanted to portray Ramon in this book as more than a stereotype.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your post. I wrote about Ramon being greedy as well. I interpreted his greed as a result of pursuing the American Dream. While during his journey to prosperity, I believe Ramon lost his way. Money made him loose focus. As so, he manipulated to get what he wanted. I'm not sure if he used his family to get what he wanted thought like you stated. You have to remember that he eventually did go back for his family. Obviously, he had a heart for them. I honestly think that while in America, Ramon transformed into a true American citizen, selfish at heart. I think his selfish nature simply prevailed always.
ReplyDelete