Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Würzburg (Neuphilologisches Institut), course: Caribbean Literature and Culture, language: English, abstract: Occurring in many different forms in the novel, violence is an important factor in The brief and wondrous life of Oscar Wao. It seems that violence in his various forms has its origin in the Spanish colonization, which expands to shape the whole society. This colonial past - which is above all a violent past - of the Dominican Republic and the structures it has left on the current Dominican society influences the life of the characters of the novel enormously. Although the colonial period of the Dominican Republic is over, its effects are still noticeable in various forms and its structures and effects still persist.