Character Analysis: The House Of The Scorpion

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Right from the start, children attach themselves to those they see as heroes. The ones that take care of them, accept them, and believe in them are the ones who are idolized by the youthful mind. But do these champions of the naïve brain deserve the followers they gain? Certain traits of those figures could hold negative or positive impacts on their admirers, as is the case in Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion. Matt’s relationship with Tam Lin and El Patrón shows how father figures can have a heavy influence on a child’s action, resulting in an overall change in their future behaviors. The two men taking up fatherly roles in the novel illustrate their similar traits to Matt through their actions. Both men appear to care for Matt deeply, treating Matt as if he matters and is not simply a clone to be used. Similarly, they also give him a sense of strength, continuing to shape Matt’s young mind. Their care gave Matt a form of stability, forming his character and keeping him from becoming someone like Tom, a young man who has received no love and positive attention. Tam Lin gave Matt this stability in a different manner, one that could be seen generally as something more positive. The bodyguard’s care stems from his love for the boy, shown in the way he answers all of…show more content…
Where he does show love for the clone, it is misread by the poor boy. This love is self-love though, as El Patrón sees only himself in Matt, unsettling him deeply when he learns of the truth. And with this great love comes great power. He gives Matt the strength of power, which quickly goes to the kid’s head when he realizes he can do whatever he wants when El Patrón is present like demanding “a birthday kiss” from María (Farmer 109). Creating a beast in his image is all El Patrón wants, leaving Matt to be a toy cruelly used and discarded, though Matt attempts to learn from his

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