Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

Defensiveness is still Marcus’s default response in Puerto Rico. For example, the taxi driver tries to chat with him and Charlie about their trip, but because the driver has a hard time understanding Charlie, Marcus answers curtly and shuts the conversation down. Marcus’s reaction stems both from his protectiveness of his brother and his assumption that people won’t trust or like him. Marcus also presumes Charlie is in danger when he is approached by the young man in the street dance circle who is wearing sunglasses and clothing that Marcus finds unusual—a tight shirt and white pants. Marcus assumes he is going to push Charlie and rushes over to stop him; it never occurs to him that the man simply intends to dance. The other family members, who understand their cultural context, had no fear in the situation, but Marcus is so conditioned to protect Charlie that he finds it difficult to relax and enjoy the safety of living within his extended family. After he manages to relax, he again draws a comparison between himself and his dad: “I wonder if my dad would dance in a situation like this. I think he would probably keep his feet firmly on the ground, like me” (124).

Marcus’s desire to find his father quickly becomes an obsession. He pushes Ermenio to open his father’s old room, even though it’s late, pesters Sergio with questions, and suggests plans with the sole goal of finding his father. He does not consider what Melissa or Charlie might prefer to do on their vacation. Marcus’s Puerto Rican relatives show him empathy and kindness by being willing to set their own issues with the man aside to help Marcus. They understand the importance of family and Marcus’s need to fill the void that was left by his father’s absence, introducing the theme of Complicated Family Dynamics and Their Consequences.

Marcus, who was not interested in photography before the trip, documents the entire trip. He finds that being behind the camera allows him to look at things without being stared at, musing, “When you’re my size, you’re always looked at” (92). This highlights the extent to which he feels self-conscious and judged because of his body. The sound of the camera taking snapshots becomes a recurring motif, as Marcus commits the new experiences and emotions to memory and to film. The camera allows him to see and process Puerto Rico and his family clearly; for example, he captures his mother smiling and the sun glinting off the rundown hostel. These important pictures will remind him of Melissa’s joy at being back in Puerto Rico and her sense of adventure, as well as of the horror he feels when he first sees Ermenio’s place.

The contrast between Melissa’s determination to do everything as a three-person team in Springfield and the openness of Ermenio’s house to relatives, friends, and travelers, all of whom are eager to help each other, is stark. Marcus and Charlie balk at the notion of staying in a place with windows “literally made of plastic bags and tape” (94) and full of strangers because this is their first visit to Ermenio. Unlike Melissa, they have no fond memories to transform the run-down house into a place that symbolizes love, adventure, and togetherness. Through watching their mother with her extended family, Marcus discovers a new side of her. He never knew that his mother speaks Spanish, that he has cousins, uncles, and aunts in Puerto Rico, or that both of his parents loved farms. Marcus is confused about why his mother has never told him about Puerto Rico. He is too young to fully appreciate the level of stress that Melissa is under in Springfield, where she must remain focused on matters of work and survival as the sole adult in the household.

Charlie is shy, but he is more willing to embrace the adventure than Marcus, who is too fixated on finding his father and on self-protection to fully absorb his new experiences. Marcus acknowledges this disparity. He sees a small, run-down, odd-smelling shack, while Charlie is excited for fireworks and enjoys the attention of the twins, and his mother feels free and sighs “like she’s happy” (116). Marcus notices the deep love and admiration that Sergio has for his daughter and the kindness and selflessness that Ermenio shows toward everyone, remaining at the hostel “in case anybody needs a bed to sleep in” (119). After hearing Sergio worry about being far away from Maria when she goes to college, Marcus “wonders how it feels to have a dad who misses you before you are even gone” (120). He is still convinced there is a good reason for his father’s silence and is irritated that Sergio, Ermenio, and his mother seem to be “ganging up on” (126) his father.