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Patron Saints Of Nothing Character Development Of Jay

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The young adult novel "Patron Saints of Nothing" by Randy Ribay shows us Jay's character development over the course of the novel. Jay’s life experiences affect how he perceives himself and the world around him. Jay is affected by three key problems throughout the entire book. Jay's alienation from his own culture as he doubts his cultural identity, his lack of empathy towards what's happening in the Philippines and how it affected his family, and his perspective of the truth are all included by the author. Growing up in America causes Jay to experience a profound alienation to his own culture. Jay never fully understood or appreciated his Filipino heritage. It is only until his trip to the Philippines and his journey to uncover his cousin’s …show more content…

At the beginning, Jay is not aware of what is happening in the Philippines. When Jay’s mother tells him about Duterte’s way of killing, Jay doesnt know what she is talking about. In fact she states, “Really Jay, you should pay more attention to what’s going on in the world outside of your video games.”(Ribay 24) Eventhough Jay is interested in knowing how Jun has died, he doesn't know about the problems concerning the Philippines and how it may have killed his cousin. As Jay delves deeper into Jun's story and begins to understand the extent of the damage caused by the drug war, he becomes more empathetic towards the people affected by the crisis. His initial apathy and indifference towards the crisis reflect his disconnection from his Filipino heritage and his family's struggles. However, as he delves deeper into his cousin's story, he becomes more aware of the impact of the drug war on the Filipino …show more content…

Jay wants the truth of what happened to his cousin Jun’s death. Jay says, “If they ask, tell the truth,” Jay says. “Even if the truth does nothing but cause the family anguish,”Jay’s mother continues,“They deserve to know,''Jay finishes (Ribay 22) Jay believes the truth should always be said. However, as the story progresses and Jay starts to uncover the truth, he finds himself denying and lying. When Tito Maning reveals the truth, Jay struggles to accept it and questions whether it is really the truth. Jay realizes that the truth can be painful and disappointing and questions whether the truth should always be

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