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Mami
Papi is Twin and Xiomara’s father. The Papi that Xiomara knows is silent and although he’s around in a literally sense, he seems mostly absent. He barely acknowledges his children and only speaks to Mami if it’s about Xiomara, Twin, or meals. Before Xiomara and Twin were born, however, Papi was a womanizer. Xiomara has heard that Mami was forced to marry Papi in order to immigrate to the U.S. and that once in the States, Papi began hanging out at bodegas and propositioning pretty women. There are other rumors that Papi had so much casual sex in his youth because he was infertile and not concerned about consequences. Despite the fact that Mami doesn’t believe in divorce, everything that Xiomara has heard suggests that Mami and Papi’s marriage was on the brink of collapse when Xiomara and Twin were born. The children supposedly made Papi into a good and upstanding man, though he seems unhappy and never plays music. Despite his own sexual history, Papi calls Xiomara a cuero (a whore) when he finds out that she kissed Aman in public. He also goes along with Mami’s cruel and abusive punishments and never advocates for his children. The first time he steps in is when Mami burns Xiomara’s poetry notebook, though he seems more concerned about the fire than the emotional trauma it causes Xiomara. Later, when the family begins attending counseling with Father Sean, Xiomara discovers that Papi loves to talk and is actually very funny. He also shows that he’s a good listener and seems to take it to heart when Xiomara tells him how he’s hurt her in the past. At her poetry slam, he publicly claims Xiomara as his daughter and does so proudly.
Papi Quotes in The Poet X
The The Poet X quotes below are all either spoken by Papi or refer to Papi. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part I
Quotes
Their gazes and words
are heavy with all the things
they want you to be.
It is ungrateful to feel like a burden.
It is ungrateful to resent my own birth.
I know that Twin and I are miracles.
Aren’t we reminded every single day?
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Explanation and Analysis:
What if I like a boy too much
and none of those things happen...
they’re the only scales I have.
How does a girl like me figure out the weight
of what it means to love a boy?
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Explanation and Analysis:
I just needed people saying words
about all the things that hurt them.
And maybe this is why Papi stopped listening to music,
because it can make your body want to rebel. To speak up.
And even that young I learned music can become a bridge
between you and a total stranger.
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Part II
Quotes
I don’t yell how the whole block whispers
when I walk down the street
about all the women
who made a cuero out of him.
But men are never called cueros.
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Explanation and Analysis:
I’ll be anything that makes sense
of this panic. I’ll loosen myself from this painful flesh.
See, a cuero is any skin. A cuero
is just a covering. A cuero is a loose thing.
Tied down by no one. Fluttering
and waving in the wind. Flying. Flying. Gone.
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Part III
Quotes
But even business deals are promises.
And we still married in a church.
And so I never walked away from him
although I tried my best to get back
to my first love.
And confirmation is the last step I can give you.
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Get the entire The Poet X LitChart as a printable PDF.
Papi Quotes in The Poet X
The The Poet X quotes below are all either spoken by Papi or refer to Papi. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part I
Quotes
Their gazes and words
are heavy with all the things
they want you to be.
It is ungrateful to feel like a burden.
It is ungrateful to resent my own birth.
I know that Twin and I are miracles.
Aren’t we reminded every single day?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
What if I like a boy too much
and none of those things happen...
they’re the only scales I have.
How does a girl like me figure out the weight
of what it means to love a boy?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I just needed people saying words
about all the things that hurt them.
And maybe this is why Papi stopped listening to music,
because it can make your body want to rebel. To speak up.
And even that young I learned music can become a bridge
between you and a total stranger.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part II
Quotes
I don’t yell how the whole block whispers
when I walk down the street
about all the women
who made a cuero out of him.
But men are never called cueros.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I’ll be anything that makes sense
of this panic. I’ll loosen myself from this painful flesh.
See, a cuero is any skin. A cuero
is just a covering. A cuero is a loose thing.
Tied down by no one. Fluttering
and waving in the wind. Flying. Flying. Gone.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part III
Quotes
But even business deals are promises.
And we still married in a church.
And so I never walked away from him
although I tried my best to get back
to my first love.
And confirmation is the last step I can give you.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
