Plot & Characters
Where does the story take place?
New Jersey
What emotion does Yunior struggle with the most?
Shame and repression
What does the TV symbolize?
Avoidance and emotional numbness
How does Diaz use silence to shape relationships in the story?
Look for: Connection between silence and survival or avoidance.
Does Yunior like his dad?
What is the gift Beto gave Yunior?
A book
How does Diaz link childhood to trauma?
He blurs nostalgia with pain. Happy memories coexist with moments of guilt.
What do locked windows mean for the mother?
Fear and emotional barriers
Why does Yunior throw away the gift Beto gave him?
Look for: Rejection of connection, the symbol of the gift, and burying his emotions
What is the term Yunior uses to talk about Beto?
Pato
What is the narrator's job?
Sells drugs
What theme does the story convey about the past and memory?
The past never fully disappears. It still appears as nostalgia and guilt.
What does Beto's gift symbolize?
Connection and self-awareness
What does the Army recruiter symbolize in Yunior's life?
Look for: False freedom, American Dream, structure, and masculinity
What is Beto's major?
Business
What childhood activity connects Yunior and Beto?
Swimming at the pool
How does the story critique the idea of the American Dream?
It reveals the dream as conditional and exclusionary
What feelings are associated with the pool?
How are Beto and Yunior opposites? How are they similar?
Look for: Comparison of growth vs. stagnation, courage vs. fear
Name of the place the mother dreams of?
Boca Raton
What is the story's opening reveal about Yunior and his mom's relationship?
Distant and quiet. He ignores her and tries to focus on the TV.
What does the ending reveal about Yunior's ability (or inability) to change?
Look for: Remains emotionally frozen. Symbolism of drowning.
How do imagery and symbolism work together to show "emotional drowning?"
Imagery and symbolism blend in “Drown” to make Yunior’s emotional suffocation feel physical. Water imagery — especially the pool, chlorine, and the act of drowning — reflects how he’s submerged in guilt and silence. Díaz’s descriptions of heat, stillness, and confined spaces like the apartment and neighborhood create a heavy, breathless atmosphere that mirrors Yunior’s repression. Memory and the present blur together, showing how he’s trapped beneath the weight of his past. Together, these sensory and symbolic details make the reader experience Yunior’s inner drowning rather than simply witness it.
What does the title "Drown" mean?
Look for: Emotional or psychological drowning. Drowning = repression, guilt, and silence. More than just Yunior, Mother's quiet suffering or the whole community's stagnation. Reference water imagery as a metaphor for memory and shame. Diaz uses the title to capture universal emotional suffocation, not just one event.
Names of the two boys Yunior had a drink with at the bar. What was the name of the bar?
Alex and Danny. The Malibou Bar