Pop Culture Monomyth in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Abstract

The use of pop culture references in Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao serve to provide heroic legitimacy to the novel's characters. Social issues which have a nature particular to a specific culture become recognizable and mainstream through the use of pop culture references. The mechanism which facilitates recognition is the universal plot structure of the monomyth. The monomyth is pervasive throughout the novel as well as the pop culture references. The familiarity created by the monomyth allows for complex themes such as immigration, displacement and identity to be discussed.