The Madonnas of Echo Park Character Chart

Main
Characters

Minor Characters

Traits

List minor characters

associated in main
characters story

Adjectives describing
main character

Authors
Note:
Brando

Aurora Esperanza,
Ms. ONeill,
Duchess, Vietnamese
and Mexican children

Embarrassed,
friendly, funny,
judgmental, nave,
passive, pitiful, quiet,
reflective, rude, timid

Chapter 1
Hector

David Tenant, Diego,

mojados, Adam,
Silvia Morales, Liz
Chacon, Marisol
Soto, Aurora, Felicia,
Cristina Alarcon,
Felix

Determined, hardworking, bold,

careless, curious,
disgruntled, tense

Chapter 2
Felicia

Aurora Salazar,
abuelita, Mrs.
Calhoun, Rick,
Aurora, Hector,
Efren, Madonna,
Alma Guerrero, Ana
Gomaez, mothers and
daughters, the pizza
guy

Hard-working,
determined,
ambitious, keen,
courageous,
energetic, brave,
helpful, humble,
loyal, honest

List central
character of
each chapter
(who is
telling the
story?)

Defining
Moment
Profound or lifechanging event
and explanation
of main character

Motivation
The main
characters
reason from
behaving the
way he or she
does

His refusal to
dance with
Aurora because
shes Mexican.
Its the 1980s,
and hes only 12
years old; hes
attracted to
Aurora, but he
cant get past his
anti-Mexican
sentiment.
He witnesses the
murder of Diego.
Hector is an
illegal
immigrant. He
was a waiter but
then lowered to a
labor worker. He
had a daughter
with his wife,
Felicia, which he
cheated on with
Cristina.

He
internalized
his mothers
prejudice
against
Mexicans, but
the fact that
Aurora didnt
forgive him
and
disappears led
to the stories.
He is scared
because he is
an immigrant
and has an
immense fear
of facing
deportation.

She is questioned
whether she
pushed her
daughter to get
killed in the
shooting of Baby
Madonna.
She is an
independent
woman that
works hard to
support her
daughter and she
tries to have a
better
relationship with
her daughter.

Many
witnesses that
were around
saw her and
her daughter
arguing the
day of the
incident and
though she
pushed
Aurora on
purpose when
in reality she
was trying to
protect her.

The Madonnas of Echo Park Character Chart

Chapter 3
Beatriz

Archie, Ruben,
Blanca, Jesus,
Aracely, Patricia, her
grandmother, Gabriel
Esperanza, Felicia,
Virgin Mary, Father
Alemencio, Alma

Devout, fighter,
strong, faithful,
solitary, independent,
resentful, courageous,
religious

She sees the

Virgin Mary that
tells her that her
Felicia should
have died instead
of Alma.
She is Felicias
mother and
Auroras
grandmother.
When she had
Felicia she sent
her away because
her husband did
not want to raise
a daughter.

She is lonely
and lost. She
regrets
sending her
daughter
away and
abandoning
her.

Chapter 4
Efren
Mendoza

Manny Sr., Manny

Jr., Echo Park Locos,
Carol, Felicia,
mojados, the black
kid, Freddy, the
people outside trying
to kill him

Racist, obnoxious,
rude, selfish,
stubborn, studious,
personable, hardworking

When he kills the

black kid.
He is a racist
against his own
kind. He declares
to follow the
rules but on the
contrary he
breaks them by
doing the
opposite.

The fact that

his father and
brother were
in a gang and
they never
supported
him with his
education. He
had to run
away from
home and
survive on his
own.

Chapter 5
Manny
Mendoza
Jr.

Manny Mendoza Sr.,

Echo Park Locos, his
abuelita, Efren, Juan,
Angie, mom, Ofelia,
Chinese girl, Phoc,
Duchess, Baby
Madonna

Violent, daring,
aggressive, resentful,
considerate,
embarrassed, fearless,
mischievous, selfconscious

When he tries to
talk his son out
of the Army.
In his mind he
apologizing for
being a worthless
father and all the
things he did to
harm those he
loves. He is
retired form the
Echo Park Locos.
His father killed
Baby Madonna
and he cant get
that image out of
his head.

His father
was also part
of the Echo
Park Locos
and he
followed in
his footsteps.
He was
ashamed of
what his
father was
after finding
out about the
killing of
Baby
Madonna and
he didnt
want his son
to be ashamed
of him.

The Madonnas of Echo Park Character Chart

Chapter 6
Freddy
Blas

Cristina, Mexican
mafia, Angie, Javier,
Julianne, Efren

Chapter 7
Angie

Chapter 8
Aurora

Mature,
honest, selfconscious,
smart,
clever, free,

When he is out of
jail after a 12year sentence.
He was convicted
for aggravated
battery. He went
looking for
Cristina and
found out she is
dead. He goes to
a bar where he is
beat up by a
hipster.

He always in
and out of
jail, he
dropped out
of school for
his defiant
attitude with
staff. He liked
hustling and
making fast
money.

Gwen Stefani, Juan,

Duchess, Rosa,
Aurora, Debbie, her
mother, Maria

Adventurous,
aspirational,
introspective, simple,
studious, dreamer

She sees the

drawing Duchess
made and the
letter Juan wrote
and finds out its
her.
She loses her
best friend
because she
wanted to
explore to a
whiter
neighborhood.
She marries Juan
but he dies and
she is expecting a
baby.

She pretended
like nothing
had happened
with Duchess
but inside it
was killing
her.

Hector, Felicia,
Vince, Lorenzo

Humble, careless,
defiant, hopeful,

At the beginning
she always went
against
everything her
mom would say.
She had a distant
relationship with
her mother.

Her mother
didnt return
the love and
affection she
tried to give
to her.