Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

The primary theme of the narrative is the importance of family. The protagonist and narrator, Marcus, lives in a loving household with his mother and his brother. Although the three of them are close, Marcus feels the void left by his absent father. His absence creates additional financial and practical stress for his mother and opens the door for bullies, such as Stephen and Stephen’s mother, to misjudge and torment Marcus and Charlie. For example, after Marcus hits Stephen for insulting Charlie, Stephen’s mother says, “Clearly that boy doesn’t have any positive male role models in his life” (39).

Likewise, Stephen baits Marcus by saying, “Your mom and dad must be...Oh wait, that’s right. Your dad went to another country and never came back” (36). Melissa works very hard to keep the family together, but she and her children pay a price for her determination to do so by herself, without reaching out to her Puerto Rican family. While she works late, Marcus assumes responsibility for himself and Charlie. He also contributes financially to the household while trying to navigate his own problems in middle school. Once he begins to imagine finding his father in Puerto Rico, Marcus convinces himself that his father will solve all their financial and household-management problems.

Marcus hears, but doesn’t listen to, what his relatives tell him about his father; instead, he assumes that they all misunderstand the situation. In Puerto Rico, Marcus observes the strong father-child relationships between Sergio and Maria and between the German twins and their father. Maria will leave for Florida in the fall, and Sergio is already emotional about her departure. Marcus notices this and thinks, “I wonder how it feels to have a dad who misses you before you’re even gone. Maybe my dad feels that way and I just don’t know it” (120). He longs to have the same bond with his father that Maria has with Sergio. Angela and Hilda also have a strong relationship with their parents and share stories of family trips. When the group wonders why Hilde wants to call their father in Germany before visiting the farm, she explains, “Our father worries. He likes us to call often” (199).

Marcus’s father has not contacted him for 10 years or answered any of his messages, but Marcus still holds out hope of a reconciliation. It is not until Marcus meets his father that he understands why his mother was reluctant to find him and why his other relatives were skeptical. Marcus’s father shows no familial sense of responsibility. He is focused only on himself, making him the outlier of the entire group. Marcus’s family recognizes that love and support entail sacrifice and work, and “sometimes the necessary thing isn’t always the easiest” (222); after seeing his father for the first time in a decade, Marcus finally understands that his father is not capable of either of these things. Marcus’s father makes a comment about the hotel, which used to be an orphanage, that sums up his inability to understand the concept of family: “Can you imagine how incredible it would have been to be an orphan living in this place? It would be like Puerto Rican Annie in Daddy Warbucks’s home!” (218). He is so detached from his fatherly obligations that he doesn’t recognize the loss inherent in being an orphan.

Because Marcus’s idea of family is centered on his father, it takes him longer than it takes Charlie to see that they have a large, loving, and complete family right in front of them: Ermenio, Sergio, Maria, Pepe, and Darma. The lost decade of family time is particularly upsetting to Melissa. She often expresses her regret and guilt, even admitting to Marcus, “We should have come here years ago […] I’m sorry for that” (196). Her Puerto Rican family members missed her, but they understand her absence and love her and her sons unconditionally. Ermenio reassures her, “You need to stop making yourself feel guilty about everything, Melissa […] Guilt does nothing for the spirit” (116).

The novel also explores sibling relationships. Marcus and Charlie have a loving relationship, but because Marcus has to look after Charlie alone, he can be overprotective and feel more like a father figure than a brother. Despite that, they have fun and are very affectionate together: “Charlie laughs uncontrollably and then hugs me. He takes my neck and brings me down to his face. ‘Nose kiss,’ he says, wiggling his nose across mine” (114). Angela and Hilda are twins who have a more traditional sibling relationship, arguing one minute and behaving as friends the next. They always check with each other before any decision is made, usually with good-natured teasing that it takes Marcus time to get used to: “I think they’re mad again, but they end up laughing” (107). Throughout the book, the importance of family and the support it provides is emphasized. Discovering his Puerto Rican family allows Marcus to view his family, and his life in general, through a wider, softer lens that reveals that his Springfield unit of three is not alone. He realizes that he is “finally part of something that’s way bigger than me” (249).