Leaving Home: Analysis of Major Characters
"Leaving Home: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex lives of four main characters as they navigate personal struggles and relationships against a backdrop of socioeconomic challenges. Adolfo, a former baseball pitcher, grapples with insecurity and the consequences of his alcoholism. His attempts to reconnect with his former lover, Isabel, highlight his emotional vulnerabilities and the impact of his past failures on his self-worth. Isabel, having endured significant hardship, exhibits kindness yet struggles to forgive Adolfo for his past actions, revealing her own emotional scars from a tumultuous upbringing.
Maria, a resilient mother, faces the dual challenges of raising her children and coping with loss, particularly after her son’s tragic death. Her faith and belief in both God and witchcraft reflect her complex worldview, further complicated by her family dynamics. Carmen, the ambitious daughter of Maria, contrasts her mother’s struggles with her determination to forge her own path. As she pursues a career in nursing and finds stability, she embodies hope for a better future. Collectively, these characters illustrate themes of resilience, the search for identity, and the nuanced nature of love and forgiveness amid societal adversity.
Leaving Home: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Lionel G. García
First published: 1985
Genre: Novel
Locale: Southern California
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The early 1940's
Adolfo, a poverty-stricken former major-league baseball pitcher who ruins his career with alcohol. Adolfo realizes that he has made no plans for his future, so he decides to see if Isabel, the only woman he has truly loved, will let him move in with her. She refuses him. Adolfo's insecurity is evident in his attempts to appear to be the winner in arguments with his cousin Maria and in his making himself the hero of every baseball story he tells. Adolfo is also insecure about his ability to perform sexually, a problem he never had in younger years. Adding to his insecurity is the cruelty of people telling him that his mouth resembles a rectum whenever he is not wearing his dentures. Although poverty prevents him from improving his appearance, Adolfo is concerned about how he looks. Adolfo has a good sense of humor and wants to be liked by everyone; open dislike crushes him. He loves telling baseball and war stories, but people at the boarding house where he lives start to avoid him so they will not have to hear another story. After his various love affairs fail to lead to true love, Adolfo's search for stability leads him back to Maria's house, where he is happy.
Maria, an emotional yet strong woman who is able to overcome adversity. Maria manages to overcome being jilted by the man she was in love with, the father of one of her children. She carries, delivers, and keeps her illegitimate daughter, also named Maria, despite what others might think. She does, however, experience emotional problems during the pregnancy. Maria loves her family deeply and does not want them to move away from home. She sees no need to seek riches. Maria has a strong belief in God but also believes in witchcraft. She begins to lose her faith in God when her son, Arnoldo, is killed. By the end of the novel, Maria is unhappy, empty, and bitter. She brightens when she learns that her cousin Adolfo will move back in with her.
Carmen, a strong-willed young woman determined to make something of her life. Carmen is Maria's favorite child but feels no regret when she leaves her mother to move to San Diego to find a job. Carmen works hard, a trait inherited from her mother, and enjoys doing things for others. While she is in a sanitarium being treated for tuberculosis, she helps the orderlies with the other patients and decides to become a nurse. She enters the Navy for training and gets a job at a naval hospital, then later is made an officer. By the end of the novel, Carmen has become engaged to a naval officer and achieved almost all of her goals.
Isabel, Adolfo's former lover. Isabel, like Maria, is left alone by the father of her child, Adolfo. Isabel, however, is not as strong as Maria. Beaten almost to death by her father, Isabel is sent to live with relatives until her baby is born. Isabel is kind and considerate. She takes Carmen in and helps her find a job. When Carmen gets sick, Isabel looks after her. Even though she still has feelings for Adolfo, Isabel tells him that she cannot forgive him for the pain he has caused her.
The Professor (Manuel Garcia), Adolfo's sidekick. The Professor is a small man who feels inferior to Adolfo, even though he finished high school and has taught elementary school. He is willing to take risks and stands up for himself.