Hart, a former writing teacher, is a freelance writer and author of several books. In this essay, Hart examines how Diaz infuses his story with the concept of conflicting realities.

Right from the very first line of Junot Díaz's short story "The Sun, the Moon, the Stars," readers are warned that this is a tale of conflict. And from that point onward, whether it is a disagreement between the two main characters, the inconsistency of dire poverty superimposed onto commercial tourism, or one man's personal struggle of contradictory desires, Díaz floods his story with the sounds and sights of seemingly unavoidable collisions. These impacts occur when one reality clashes with another; when two separate visions, whether personal or environmental, conflict. This is a story in which people have trouble hearing what another person is saying, in which people do not understand what another...