Choosing the Light

Analysis of Junot Diazs Aurora

In Aurora, the title itself catches your attention. The title of this story is perfect. The title is the center of the story. Auroras are not described in the story at all but the author, Junot Diaz, put so many clues for the readers to notice what the story is truly about. He effectively incorporated the meanings of an Aurora (now and in the past) to get the story through. Auroras were used throughout history to give direction and create a path for travelers. They are beautiful, colorful lights that shine in the North Pole and in the South Pole. Whether they were astronomers or ordinary people moving from place to place, auroras would shine in the sky pointing either north or south. In this story, Junot Diaz is referring to auroras to point out that life is journey. There is a light leading north and another leading south and as the character everyone must make decisions to go in which ever direction that they think is best. The direction that will put them on the right path. The car that is used by the narrator is called a Pathfinder and it is mentioned at least twice in the story. This is a rather clear reference to the fact that the narrator is searching for his path. The path, as used in this story, is not physical route. Junot Diaz is referring to decisions that the narrator has to make throughout the story. The narrators friend, Cut, plays an important role in his decision making. One thing that Cut keeps on telling the narrator is to stop seeing his girlfriend, Aurora. The name Cut has a meaning of itself. Cut is constantly cutting the narrator out of his fantasy world but no matter how hard Cut tried, Narrator kept on going back to Aurora. As I mentioned before, auroras were guiding lights. They also have some sort of hypnotic beauty. Once you see it, you can never really forget it. The aurora that Narrator has his eyes set upon is Aurora but she is a specific type of aurora. The Aurora Austrialis is the aurora located in the South Pole. Ive decided to talk about the one that is in the South Pole because of certain clues in the story. I know that everything that

is specifically described or named in the story is there for a purpose. When Cut and the narrator take the Pathfinder to South Amboy, I remembered two more places where the narrator mentioned going south. One of them is the first line of the story where he says, Earlier me and Cut drove down to South River and bought some more smoke. Immediately, the phrase my life is going south and Life is like smoke. People come and go come to my mind. The narrator is undoubtedly lost and is following a southern path where his decisions seem to be the wrong ones. And just as with Auroras that come and go, people can be there in a minute and be gone in the next. However, putting all judgmental sentiments aside, one might notice something - that whether he goes north or south, he is walking a path that he chose and is keeping his eyes on the light in the sky. This aspect of the story is also important. Years ago, when people used an aurora to guide them, they werent just randomly following it. They followed it because of what they knew about them or because of what they thought they meant. Those facts and opinions mixed together to form a sense of hope mixed with uncertainty and excitement. Well, the narrator had the same feelings when dealing with Aurora and even about his life. He hopes that he had a life with Aurora and that his life with Aurora could be one where they lived ordinary lives. Aurora feels the same way in the story. The only thing that Aurora and the narrator do not share when it comes to their relationship is uncertainty. The narrator loves Aurora but he isnt sure that she is the one that he should be with. He wants her but he doesnt know if he needs her. This is seen in how hesitant he was to let her in when she was knocking on the door. Location is also important in the story. The names of the cities and areas that are mentioned in the story are there for a specific reason. Junot Diaz does not waste space. If the reader looked at a map he/she would have found that they are connected in the exact sequence

that they are written in the story. It is as if they were following a path but something weird happened. They are not going south all the time. They go north and turn west and go back down. This travelling is done in the Pathfinder. It has already been established that the Pathfinder alludes to the narrators journey to find his path in life. So, going north and then south implies that the narrator does follow the aurora that is in the north but has a tendency to go back south. This is a fact that cannot be ignored for people usually dont go through life in a linear fashion. This has an even greater meaning that will be discussed later. Numbers also appear in the story and they are all divisible by two. The most relevant one is four. That number stands for north, south, east, and west. Obviously, if you know where north and/or south is, you know where east and west is as well. This is very useful to travelers and in the narrators case, they represent alternative routes. He doesnt take any of them because he does not have the light of an aurora to lead him on the path. If he did go that way, he would be alone and would be in the dark. Even after she came back from juvenile detention, he went back to her. By that time they had a new Zenith in the living room. In astronomy, zenith is the point directly above the observer and is considered the highest point that he/she could reach. All of that happens near the end of the story and is there to tell the reader that the narrator has reached his zenith as he sticks by the Aurora Austrialis of his life, Aurora. He has followed the light in the sky to get to his destination. At the end of the paragraph before the latter, I said I would talk about the authors tendency to go southern lights. The route that he takes is from Freehold to South Amboy to Perth Amboy to New Brunswick to Westminister Avenue (in the state of New Jersey). Looking closely at the route and comparing it to the Hydrus constellation in the southern sky, you will notice that they have shapes. Also, the stars of this constellation point north, south, east, and west. That is

another way Junot Diaz incorporates the number four in the story. This proves that the direction of the narrator is south and that he has chosen to go that way. He saw the aurora and decided to follow it. The constellation has a little of Greek mythology background that walks with it. It represents Hydra, a deadly serpent that Heracles slayed as the second of his Twelve Labors. He defeated the Hydra with a harvesting stick which represents the tough love that the narrator and Aurora share for each other. It also points out that although the aurora is shining bright in the sky, it is not easy to stay on the path that leads to it. You must fight to get to your desired destination. Aurora is a story about making decisions in life. It shows how your decisions affect your life now and how it may affect or even mold your future. The narrator has chosen his light and followed it. His journey is not over yet though. He has only overcome his Second Labor and has ten more to go. Nevertheless, he has made a choice to follow Aurora, his aurora and his guiding light. Together they go south, not because they have to but because they have chosen their path. Through this story, Junot Diaz has passed a valuable message. He has done a great job at telling the readers that struggles will come regardless of which road you take in life. People will try to drag you in a certain direction while some others will try to pull you in the other one. Problems will come from all four directions. But, in the end, you are the one who decides which way to go.