Drown Lesson Plan

How does sexuality and masculinity play a role in Drown? How does this affirm or deviate from what the other stories in this collection have established? (Drown)

Sexuality is central to this story. It appears that Yunior’s reluctance to see Beto again is tied to the sexual experiences they had a couple of years prior: he recounts feeling strange at the time, although he never articulates exactly why. We can infer that he is unsure of his sexuality and that these experiences with Beto forced him to confront this discomfort. The constant sexualization of women and the frequent use of homophobic slurs by his friends -- as well as by Yunior himself -- indicate a culture of...