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The Differences In Patron Saints Of Nothing By Jay Reguero

1060 Words5 Pages

Humans share many major similarities and differences even across country borders. In the novel, Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay, Jay Reguero travels to the Philippines to investigate the mysterious death of his cousin Jun. As Jay spends time in the Philippines, their similarities continue to stand out along with their major difference being the types of relationships with their family members. Throughout Jay’s trip and Jun’s letters, Ribay uses the first person, along with character conflicts to compare and contrast the lives of Jay and Jun. A glaring similarity between Jay and Jun is their inability to connect with others who share a common problem with the way the world functions. The first instance where the reader can sense …show more content…

Jay’s relationships within his family are very open and optimistic compared to Jun’s. On page 317, Jay thinks “when I give real answers, he listens without judgment” (Ribay). The brief thought portrays a ton about their relationship. Jay can be open with his dad without expecting repercussions and he is not scared to open up to him. The openness of Jay to his father indirectly characterizes that they have somewhat of a positive bond. Ribay uses the first person point of view to give the reader a better perspective on their relationship. The reader is able to read Jay’s emotions towards his father because it is told from his eyes. Jun’s relationship with his father contrasts gigantically from Jay’s. Instead of being non judgmental like Jay’s dad, Jun’s dad prefers to bring him down emotionally. On page 18, Jun writes “I told Tatay at dinner, and he said it was stupid” (Ribay). The sentence above is Jun’s fathers response to his son telling him that he dreams of being an astronaut one day. Rather than supporting Jun, his father decides to degrade him in an attempt to keep him from pursuing a unique career. Ribay uses this sentence to further demonstrate the Character vs. Character conflict between Jun and his father. Jay and Jun share this major difference because Jay and his father are open and close while Jun and his father are

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