Junot Díaz's Drown, a collection of short stories, recounts the events of Yunior and his family. Each story focuses on Yunior and his struggle to grow up as a Dominican immigrant and find his place in American society. Throughout the progression of the novel, Yunior realizes the stereotypes imposed on him and recognizes that being white is advantageous. Yunior's experience growing up in both the Dominican Republic and the United States has shaped his outlook on life and his lifestyle choices. Growing up in poverty in the Dominican Republic strongly influenced the choices Yunior made later in life. In “Aguantando,” Yunior talks about how poverty was a part of his life. Díaz writes: “We were poor. The only way we could have been poorer was to have lived in the campo or to have been Haitian immigrants… We didn't eat stones but we didn't eat meat or beans either” (Díaz, 70 years). This depiction of Yunior's early childhood sets the stage for what is to come. Yunior's choices as a teenager prove that he chooses not or cannot improve his situation and instead turns to drugs and alcohol. Yunior's decision to use drugs and alcohol shows that people living in poverty have no reason to live and simply live for the next best thing. Yunior's encounter with drugs is first seen in "Aurora". To ease his mother's financial burden, Yunior sells recreational drugs on the streets. It’s a lucrative business that has repercussions. Yunior remembers: "Ten here, ten there, an ounce of weed for the big guy with the warts... Things aren't like that here yet, but more and more young people are taking care of the traffic and the teams more important ones arrive from out of town... We » I still make Crazy Paper, but it's harder now and Cut is already... middle of paper... and the stereotypes against him played a role in Yunior's racial identity and how he perceives it. Yunior's experiences taught him that whites and Latinos are different and that, in essence, being white is better. Yunior's maturation journey taught him to accept his racial identity as a Latino and his position in life. Yunior has not reached the end of his maturation period, but given the environment and his situation, it appears that he is in a stagnant stage of his life. If he had a more positive upbringing, he would be more optimistic about the future, he would set goals instead of getting stuck. In his search for a permanent escape from his reality, he learns that being white is the only way to achieve true success and, unfortunately, Yunior believes, it is not in his future.Works CitedDíaz, Junot. Walnut. Boston: Riverhead Trade, 1997. Print