So Far from God: Analysis of Major Characters
"So Far from God" is a novel that intricately explores the lives of Sofía and her four daughters against the backdrop of New Mexico's cultural landscape. Sofía, the resilient matriarch, navigates the challenges of motherhood after her husband Domingo abandons the family. She becomes a community leader, enhancing the economic conditions of her town while grappling with personal loss, as she survives all four of her daughters. Esperanza, the eldest, is a passionate activist and journalist who struggles with the complexity of her relationships. Caridad, the second daughter, experiences a tumultuous journey from beauty and love to recovery and the embrace of her spiritual gifts as a curandera. Fe, the third daughter, faces heartbreak and eventual tragedy due to workplace hazards. Lastly, La Loca, the youngest, defies societal norms with her unique powers and connection to animals. The novel also features pivotal characters like Doña Felicia, who mentors Caridad, and the troubled figures of Ruben and Francisco, who shape the daughters' lives through their relationships and passions. Overall, the story weaves themes of resilience, identity, and the quest for healing amid adversity.
So Far from God: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ana Castillo
First published: 1993
Genre: Novel
Locale: Tome, New Mexico
Plot: Farce
Time: The last two decades of the twentieth century
Sofía (soh-FEE-ah), the protagonist, the mother of four daughters. She was born into an old and respected family in New Mexico that was heir to Spanish land grants. Sofía elopes at the age of eighteen with Domingo, a handsome young gambler. She gives birth to four daughters at three-year intervals, is abandoned by her husband (after she asks him to leave), and supports her family in her rural home by butchering pigs and lambs to sell at her “Carne Buena Carniceria” (Good Meat Butcher Shop). At the age of fifty-three, she becomes the titular mayor of Tome by developing and orga-nizing sheep and cattle cooperatives to improve the economic condition of the town's people. She survives all four of her daughters.
Esperanza (ehs-pehr-AHN-sah), Sofía's eldest daughter. A radical Chicana activist during her college years, she earns a master's degree in communications and becomes a TV news journalist.
Caridad (kah-ree-DAHD), Sofía's second daughter. The beauty of the family, she marries her high school sweetheart, but his infidelity moves her to leave him shortly after the wedding. She drowns her sorrow in alcohol and men until her nightly bar adventures are cut short by a savage attack that leaves her mutilated and near death. After a miraculous recovery, she becomes clairvoyant and an apprentice curandera (medicine woman) to Doña Felicia, an older healer woman.
Fe (fay), Sofía's third daughter, a methodical, hardworking and reliable bank clerk. Her ambition is to marry her boyfriend and buy a house. When he jilts her shortly before their planned wedding, she suffers a nervous breakdown that results in her emitting a continuous scream that does not stop for a year. Fe subsequently marries her cousin and becomes a well-paid factory employee working with deadly chemicals. She dies from exposure to chemicals.
La Loca (LOH-kah), Sofía's fourth daughter; her name means “the crazy one.” At the age of three, La Loca appears to die from convulsions, but at her burial she apparently “resurrects.” Repelled by people and human touch, she lives surrounded by animals. She possesses extraordinary (and sometimes miraculous) powers, including foresight.
Domingo (doh-MEEN-goh), Sofía's errant husband. A charming, handsome man and a confirmed gambler, he leaves his wife and daughters and later returns to them after many years of absence. He gambles away the family's remaining land and their house. Sofía divorces him.
Doña Felicia (DOHN-yah feh-LEE-see-ah), Caridad's ancient, eccentric landlady and mentor. She is instrumental in helping Caridad learn to recognize, accept, and use her healing gifts.
Francisco el Penitente (frahn-SEES-koh ehl peh-neeTEHN-teh), Doña Felicia's godson. His obsession with Caridad leads to her death. He later takes his own life.
Ruben (REW-behn), Esperanza's activist boyfriend. Afraid to commit to a relationship with her, only after her death does he finally admit that he loved her.
Esmeralda (ehs-meh-RAHL-dah), a mysterious woman who becomes romantically involved with Caridad. Their relationship leads to Esmeralda's abduction and rape by the obsessed Francisco.