(Spoiler alert!)
At the end of Oscar Wao’s tragic story, he is killed by his lover’s abusive ex-boyfriend. With the simple word of fire, Oscar Wao is shot in the head. When I read that that was his end, I was shocked and awash with a feeling of numbness. So really, what was the point of this story? Here he is, a fat nerd who finally found love. Granted, she probably wasn’t the best person to fall in love with, considering she had a dangerous abusive police officer boyfriend, but he found what he longed for for so long. Human connection. And then it all ended.
I felt frustrated and sorry for Oscar. The first person he has feelings for, is the essentially the beta version of Ybon. Except now Ybon actually loves Oscar. He gets beaten almost to death, and everyone in his family warns him to stay away from her, but he returns to the DC to be with her, knowing likely that it would be the end of him.
The most tragic aspect of Oscar’s death was the fact that he always stayed true to himself. During his final speech, he refers to himself as an avenger. He’s an avenger to his own death, but also the Avengers from the comics. He also referred to the goons that was with Capitan as Grod and Grundy. Even when he’s about to die, he still has his nerd references, because that’s who he is.
It wasn’t until the professor said that she feels that Oscar Wao is the epitome of an anti-hero, that I finally realized the point of his story. Though his story felt dull and dreary, that was the point. He was the hero of his own story, regardless of how sad it may seem to the outsider. His goal is always his goal, even if other people only pity him.
