I feel that Juan is a dreamer. He doesn't always have pleasant dreams (or thoughts, see page 71. he does not want to face whatever his subconscious wants him to see) and he often dreams of stars (page 53), Carmen, and his past. His knowledge also affects his dreams, as he has an education in astronomy and he dreams of the constellations he sees before he falls asleep. Also, on page 36, he dreams of Andres and how he feels paralyzed with fear. I think that his thoughts also have a dreamlike quality. Does anybody else think that? His thoughts on pages 70 and 71 made me feel that way.
Another characteristic of Juan is that he cares very much about those close to him. However this clashes with his fear. He feels extremely guilty when he realizes how his fear affects others (when he blamed Raul for being too slow page 41 and when he prevents Raul from helping Andres-which occurred in chapter three). When Raul had died, he had still felt that he shared a bond with Raul and he felt comfort and confidence from Raul's "spirit" (page 71).
Despite the fact that most of what we see of Juan is fear, there's also other things that make up his personality.
Grace,
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting the conversation started; this is a good post. BUT remember to choose only one answer and stick with it--develop the "dreamer" aspect, and leave the rest for one of your peers!