In his story “The Sun, the Moon, the Stars”, Junot Diaz introduces the reader to a couple going through a tumultuous period in their relation. News of Yunior's infidelity had just come to light via a letter his lover had sent to his fiancée Magdalena. Reacting to the situation, Yunior confesses and embarks on a journey to try to win Magda back. Throughout the story, Yunior, who also serves as the narrator, attempts to convince not only the reader but also himself that he is simply a good guy who made a mistake. However, even though he was sincere and showed genuine emotion as he delivered his mea culpa, Yunior never quite grasps the full extent of his actions and the repercussions that come with them. Instead, he decides to downplay what he has done in an act of self-deception, which inadvertently results in a lack of persuasion on the part of both Magda and the reader. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the beginning, Díaz presents the reader with an incapable, yet self-aware narrator. Yunior, the narrator, decides to start the story by claiming to be a good person, even though he admits to cheating on his girlfriend; “I'm not a bad guy. I know it may sound defensive, unscrupulous, but it's true. I'm like everyone else: weak, full of mistakes, but fundamentally good." (Díaz 1). It's interesting to see how Yunior doesn't take much time to defend himself in what appears to be a disclaimer to the reader before proceeding with the story. By saying he's weak like everyone else, Yunior deflects blame and basically gives an excuse as to why he did what he did. Acts like these make it seem like he has trouble convincing the reader, and perhaps even himself, that he is actually good. On the other hand, Yunior proves himself sincere and trustworthy by acknowledging how defensive he seems and being honest when explaining how he managed to sabotage his relationship with Magdalena. This, however, is overshadowed by his multiple attempts to downplay his relationship with the reader. As a narrator, Yunior is also very outspoken when it comes to sharing his opinions and intentions. An example of this would be how he does not hesitate to state how much he loves Magdalena or to describe how difficult it was for him after she received the letter. But Yunior also opens up about other things that make the reader wonder just how good of a person Yunior really is. At one point he even admits to the reader that he had no intention of telling Magda about the affair if it hadn't been for the letter she receives; “You know how it is. A smelly bone like that, better buried in the backyard of your life. (Díaz 1). As mentioned above, Yunior tries his best to fix the relationship between him and Magda. However, after hearing how he wouldn't tell her in the first place, the reader is left wondering whether or not Yunior actually loved Magda enough to tell her about the relationship at the end or if he was just trying to do damage control. the unexpected blow that hit the relationship. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mea culpa as a formal acknowledgment of personal guilt or wrong. While discussing the events that have transpired since Magda received the letter, Yunior also lets the reader know how much love he has for her and how bad he feels about the whole thing; “When he asked me: why don't you leave me alone? I told her the truth: it's because I love you, mom. I know it sounds like a load of nonsense, but it's true: Magda is my heart. (Díaz 4). But even though he makes it pretty clear that he actually cares about Magda, it's lines like the one that comes right after that make the reader wonder.. 2016.