In Drown by Junot Diaz, there are decisive spaces for men and women in the text. Yunior and his mother demonstrate a compelling and complex dichotomy between a dependent maternal figure and an independent male figure. These two figures are each unique in their presentations of masculinity and femininity as they exist outside of traditional gender roles and expressions. However, in transcending gender expectations, Yunior and his mother are both monitored and ostracized because they do not adhere to normative ideologies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Yunior's mother represents traditional roles of Latinidad as she remains faithful and supportive to her son and husband. Conversely, Yunior's mother is presented as keeping a distance between herself and her son, the only things that exchange between them being money, silence and protection. Without a doubt, she plays a role that she cannot escape, because if she does not adhere to societal norms, she will lose the connection with her son and her sense of security. Physically, Yunior's mother exists primarily in the domestic sphere, wading from room to room in silence. As Yunior describes her: “She is so quiet that most of the time I am surprised to find her in the apartment” (Diaz, 94). Metaphorically, this silence represents his inability to express his true desires or true self. The importance of silence permeates the text as Yunior's mother becomes the embodiment of isolated fears within family relationships. Yunior struggles to understand how his mother maintains a sense of loyalty and even love for his father, especially when Yunior remains the target of fears and anxieties throughout his youth. Misery and loneliness are etched into her very being, as evidenced when she considers a visit to the mall a celebrated occasion. Like Yunior himself, Yunior's mother deviates from the norm. The phone calls to her former husband demonstrate a type of desire that is non-normative and therefore regulated by Yunior, who believes that her mother's desire to remain close to her husband reflects her own repressed desires around Beto. Although Yunior does not necessarily imitate his despite his mother's relationship with Yunior's father, he nevertheless interprets his desire and potential desperation for Beto as a flaw that connects him to his mother. Yunior's central fear is that he will inevitably experience the world as his mother experienced it and that he will crave the attention and love that a man like Yunior's father can provide. For Yunior, this means he cannot offer love and comfort; instead, it should provide stability and strength. These masculine ideologies persist throughout the text and are specifically maintained by Yunior in the face of sexual awakening, potential employment opportunities, and his role as a rock in the domestic sphere. Yunior's sexuality is clearly something that affects his identity as a macho man. . However, the text makes clear distinctions between what is socially accepted and what Yunior is willing to participate in. Yunior has no problem with drug trafficking because he believes that, as a product of an economically unstable environment, trafficking is a choice that is worth the risk if it generates an effective gain. However, Beto and Yunior's sexual experiences negatively affect Yunior's self-image and cause him to self-deprecate. Both encounters take place in Beto's house, which gives the boys a sense of security in their isolation and security in expressing their desire. Although these experiences are not..