Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

Charlie is Marcus’s 12-year-old brother and is a main character in the narrative. Charlie has Down syndrome. After a long battle with the school board, he was allowed to attend the same public middle school as Marcus. Charlie, who is fair like his mother, is friendly, sociable, and says what he thinks. He tries to learn other students’ names and high-fives them in the school halls. Charlie is not self-conscious at school, happily wearing his Willy Wonka hat. However, he becomes endearingly shy when he is showered with affection on the trip by his new friends and relatives. Charlie loves adventure if he has time to prepare for it. Before going to Puerto Rico, Charlie learns everything he can about the itinerary, the land, and the culture, including how to salsa dance. Charlie’s sense of fun and optimism is shown when their rundown house has a leaky pipe: “Charlie loved it. He splashed around, acting like he was a pirate on a sinking ship” (23). Charlie has a special bond with Marcus, who looks after him and understands Charlie’s quirks. Charlie loves everything about the Willy Wonka books and movies, identifying with the fictional Charlie in the book. When he has a hard time expressing himself, he refers to characters or scenarios from the books to clarify his point. Charlie’s optimistic, sociable, and joyful characteristics make his character a foil for Marcus, highlighting Marcus’s suspicious, introverted, and self-conscious qualities. By the end of the narrative, Marcus becomes more like Charlie, and Charlie becomes less reliant on Marcus.

Melissa is Marcus and Charlie’s mother. She met and married their father during her college years while she was spending a semester in Puerto Rico. Melissa is a strong, emotional character who provides a thread of continuity throughout the book. Melissa is left to raise Charlie and Marcus alone after her husband returns to Puerto Rico. She fights to get Charlie into the public school system, works long hours to financially support her family, and tries to be an involved mother, no matter how tired she is. These efforts take a toll on her emotional health. Melissa’s true personality does not come out until the family is in Puerto Rico: “It’s like my mom is someone else. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so freely” (124). In Puerto Rico, Melissa is relaxed and joyful, fully embracing every “adventure” with enthusiasm and optimism. She expresses her regrets and her disappointment at how her life turned out: “I always wanted a garden. I thought I was going to live in a place where I could garden year-round” (152). However, she remains optimistic about the future, and her devotion to her kids and her Puerto Rican family never wavers.

After the trip, Marcus appreciates what his mother sacrificed for him and Charlie. He sees his mother in a different light: “This post-Puerto Rican mom is fierce. Who knew beautiful weather, old architecture, a gorgeous countryside, and exotic fruits and vegetables could do that to a person?” (246). Melissa is the “hero” of the narrative, putting her children before herself and overcoming painful memories to help Marcus find his father. This allows closure for him, which she also achieves during the trip.

Danny is a student at the middle school who pays Marcus to walk him to and from school because he is bullied by Stephen and his crew. He is an only child who enjoys playing “Jeopardy!” with his Colombian grandparents. Danny is chatty, curious, and kind. He takes a genuine interest in Marcus’s Puerto Rican trip, and he plays a significant role in allowing Marcus to observe and document Puerto Rico by lending him his camera. Danny does not take offense when Marcus tells him to “stop asking questions” (34). He is used to being told he talks too much. Danny knows he is different due to his Colombian heritage and being “nerdy.” He is the only student who stands up to Stephen when Stephen is baiting Marcus, calling Stephen an “ignoramus” (36) when he implies that Puerto Rico is “another country” (36), not part of the US. Stephen retaliates by using a slur against both Danny and Charlie, which drives Danny to seek justice for Marcus after Marcus hits Stephen. Danny spends his break getting kids to sign a petition to keep Marcus in school and possibly get Stephen expelled, showing that he is a dedicated and loyal friend. Danny is Marcus’s first friend; his persistence and kindness break down Marcus’s walls.

Stephen, the school bully, is the main antagonist. His wealthy mother is the head of the parents association and “was the loudest opponent” (16) to Charlie’s admission to the middle school. Stephen is cruel and judgmental like his mother. He is a malicious verbal bully who picks on kids for anything about them that stands out: acne, speech or learning difficulties, or “outdated clothes” (12). Stephen is also manipulative. He manages to stay out of trouble by claiming that he’s “only joking” and inviting kids over to hang out if they threaten to report his behavior. Stephen sees Marcus as a challenge who gets in the way of his habit of bullying other students on their way to and from school. Stephen knows the only way he can provoke Marcus is by insulting Charlie. Although he is punched in the face, Stephen feels triumphant that he managed to make Marcus lose control. Danny and the other kids want Stephen expelled, but after his Puerto Rico trip, Marcus is mature enough to forgive Stephen and understand that he “is just scared. Scared of not being liked. Scared of things he doesn’t understand” (237).

Sergio is the cousin of Marcus Vega Sr., and Maria is Sergio’s college-aged daughter. When Sergio sells produce at farmers’ markets, he visits Maria, who stays with her uncle Ermenio, who is also Marcus and Charlie’s uncle. Sergio drives an old lime-green pickup truck that becomes the main transportation for Melissa and her family, as well as for his produce. Sergio is kind and considerate. He has fond memories of Melissa from the time when she lived in Puerto Rico, and although he and Marcus’s dad parted ways, he does everything he can to help Marcus find him. When Sergio was young, his parents left him with Tía Darma every summer, which is where he learned about farming and developed a passion for it. Sergio is intensely family-oriented and becomes emotional when he thinks about Maria leaving Puerto Rico for college. When she tells him that she plans to return to Puerto Rico after completing her degree, Sergio is “about to lose it” (201) with emotion and joy.

Sergio had a younger brother who died fighting in the US Army. Sergio and his brother lost their parents when Sergio was only 10. Darma, who is Sergio’s aunt, raised Marcus and his brother, and he says, “She’s like a mother to me […] She taught me everything I know” (120). Sergio understands the importance of family and prioritizes family above everything else, in stark contrast to Marcus’s father. Sergio notices how protective Marcus is of Charlie and lets Marcus know that he is a good brother. Sergio also helps Marcus understand his mother’s secrecy about her life in Puerto Rico, explaining “I think sometimes we try to protect those we love from hurt. You know what that’s like” (188). Without Sergio, Marcus would never have found his father and would have missed getting to know his extended Puerto Rican family. Sergio loves Melissa, Charlie, and Marcus, and this feeling stays with Marcus long after their return to Springfield.

Tía Darma is the aunt of Sergio and Marcus, Senior. She is a small, wrinkled elderly woman, and the first time Marcus meets her she is wearing “jeans, construction boots, a purple tank top and wide-brimmed hat” (144), ready to work on her farm and in her stable. Finca Vega is her farm. Although she still cultivates Puerto Rican fruits and vegetables, she focuses “less on livestock” and farming and more on teaching agriculture to young Puerto Ricans. Darma commands respect from everyone but Marcus’s father. Marcus compares her to Yoda and describes her face as one that says, “I’m packing a lightsaber in my construction boot” (146). Even though Darma sometimes speaks in riddles, which frustrates Marcus, she is the one who convinces Melissa that he needs to find his father. Darma is kind and understanding and forms an instant bond with Charlie. She is the glue that holds this large family together, and she embraces Marcus, Charlie, and Melissa as integral members of that family.