
For example, Yunior notices that Ysrael's kite is well-made: "the kite was no handmade local job. The boys also share that their fathers are currently working in New York.Īnother subtle element of irony in "Ysrael" comes from the fact that Ysrael seemingly has more advantages than Rafa and Yunior despite his disability. The text clues us in to this fact through the description of Rafa and Ysrael's clothing, which both come from America. What Rafa does not acknowledge, however, are the similarities he shares with Ysrael.

In other words, Rafa is drawn to that which makes Ysrael different from him.

But the forehead would be a lot harder" (9). He pinches Yunior before they go to bed in order to investigate how Ysrael's face might have been affected by the pig which attacked him: "My brother was pinching my face during the night, like I was a mango. Rafa's main motivation for tracking down Ysrael is his fascination with Ysrael's face. When Rafa first learns about Ysrael from his little brother, he quickly decides to track him down so that he can see Ysrael's deformed face. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience finds out important information about a character that the said character does not acknowledge or know about in the text. When read together, the quotes above constitute an example of dramatic irony within "Ysrael," the first short story of Drown. "Ysrael's sandals were of stiff leather and his clothes were Northamerican." ("Ysrael," 15)

"He wore the same outfit when he went to see these girls, a shirt and pants that my father had sent him from the States last Christmas." ("Ysrael," 6) Buy Study Guide Clothing ("Ysrael," Dramatic Irony)
