Topic > The Meaning of Chapter Eight in How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie by Junot Diaz

In chapter eight of Drown, "How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie," Yunior shows inconsistencies with his sexual orientation through his attempt to flirt with girls because at the beginning of the novel the narrative implied that he was interested in men. In previous chapters, Junot Diaz portrays Yunior as more feminine than his brother Rafa. This can be seen when Yunior refuses to tell his mother about his father's affair because he wants to protect his mother, which paints him as an emotional, compassionate, and caring person. Through Yunior's narrative at the beginning of the first chapter, which describes his relationship with his brother, it is clear that Rafa is heterosexual and has a strong desire for girls. Unlike how Rafa always talks about girls, Yunior is more emotional and not so outgoing with girls. Chapter eight is significant to the story because Yunior's changes in his point of view, voice/tone, and sexual orientation indicate that his brother's influence on him to be more masculine is not genuine to Yunior, and confirms previous suggestions that he was homosexual. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The change in point of view in this chapter indicates how unfamiliar Yunior is when it comes to flirting with the opposite sex. “Put your burger down and say, That must have been hard… Don't ask, Let her talk about it and when you're both done eating, go back to the neighborhood. The skies will be magnificent, the pollutants have made Jersey sunsets one of the wonders of the world. Point it out. Touch her shoulder and say: How cute, right? Get serious. Watch TV but be careful. Sip some of the Bermudez that your father left in the cabinet, which no one touches. Unlike previous chapters, Yunior tells the story in the second person. The use of “you” in the chapter shows how Yunior is trying to distance himself from what he is doing. It shows how uninterested he is in conversation with girls. Every sentence he says is unnatural and seems forced. He talks as if he's reading a list of instructions on how to get a girl. He probably learned how to flirt with girls by watching his brother. Yunior shows a strong desire to become friends with his brother at the beginning of the novel. From a young age, Yunior learned from his brother that it is good to be with many girls. Yunior tries to become more masculine by imitating what Rafa is doing. In this chapter, Yunior doesn't act like he's truly himself because he tries to be another version of Rafa. Try to pretend you know everything about girls by listing the steps. The change in voice/tone in this chapter indicates that he is nervous about inviting girls to his house because everything he knows is based on his brother's experience with girls. He makes sure to hide government cheese, a type of cheese that is distributed to welfare recipients. “Remove the government cheese from the refrigerator. If the girl comes from the Terrace, stack the boxes behind the milk. If he's from Park or Society Hill, hide the cheese in the cabinet above the oven, where he'll never see it. From the way he hides the government cheese, it is clear that Yunior is embarrassed by his financial situation. The chapter further describes his action with: “Take down all the embarrassing photos of your family in the camp, especially the one with half-naked children dragging a goat on a rope leash… Hide the photo of you with an afro cut. Make sure the bathroom is.