Leaving the DR
The main reason Ramon leaves the DR
He believes he can build a better financial future in the US
Ramon's biggest obstacle when he arrives in the US
Getting legal immigration papers
Ramon's job situation in the US is best described as this
Constantly changing jobs trying to get ahead
Nilda and Ramon eventually have these together
Children
A major theme shown through Ramon's journey
The American Dream comes with painful sacrifices
What Ramon hopes the US will offer him
The American Dream/ opportunity for success
What Ramon pays a woman early on to do
Marry him so he can get citizenship papers
The job where Ramon injures himself
Factory job
The kind of husband and father Ramon becomes
Irresponsible, selfish, and frequently absent
Why Junot Diaz includes Ramon's repeated failures
To show how ambition can blind a person
The emotional cost of leaving his family behind
Guilt and shame that haunt him throughout the story
How Ramon injures himself
He breaks his back lifting something heavy
He chickens out and avoids seeing his original family
The theme represented by Ramon's two families
Success without responsibility destroys relationships
What Ramon tells himself to justify abandoning his family
That he will return once he has money and success
The woman Ramon marries who helps him get his papers legally
Nilda
What Ramon does after getting injured
He blames Nilda and begins to distance himself from her
What Ramon's behavior in the DR reveals about him
He feels guilt and shame but can't face it
What Diaz suggests about immigration
It promises opportunity but can damage identity and family bonds
The irony of Ramon's departure from the DR
He leaves to help his family but distances himself from them instead
The reason Ramon wants both marriages in the US
To gain legal status, not for love
What the injury symbolizes in Ramon's journey
The physical and emotional price of chasing the American Dream
What Ramon ultimately does to Nilda and their family
Leaves little by little and eventually abandons them
The deeper message about Ramon's character
He is not purely a villain, he is a tragic mix of ambition, selfishness, and insecurity