: ▁" El ▁Pad rec ito "; ▁thin , ▁s allow , ▁book ish ▁priest ▁in ▁Sal ud ; ▁close ▁friend ▁of ▁Car m elo . ▁Gabriel : ▁Young er ▁brother ▁of ▁Mar is ol ▁and ▁son ▁of ▁Rafael ▁and ▁Ram ona ; ▁observ ant , ▁scientific ; ▁very ▁close ▁to ▁Mar is ol . ▁ ▁Th emes ▁ ▁Identity ▁ ▁Jud ith ▁Ort iz ▁Co fer ▁expl ores ▁how ▁identity ▁is ▁formed ▁through ▁her ▁characters ' ▁movement , ▁not ▁only ▁phys ically ▁in ▁space ▁and ▁time ▁as ▁individuals , ▁but ▁also ▁as ▁migr ants ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁as ▁a ▁collect ive ▁cultural ▁unit . ▁She ▁deliber ately ▁cross es ▁the ▁boundaries ▁of ▁narr ative ▁voice ▁to ▁produce ▁a ▁trans gress ive ▁novel , ▁challeng ing ▁the ▁sexual , ▁narr ative , ▁and ▁aut obi ographical ▁norm s ▁that ▁affect ▁her ▁as ▁a ▁Puerto ▁R ican - American ▁artist . ▁The ▁character ▁of ▁Mar is ol ▁emb od ies ▁a ▁" double ▁other ness ", ▁in ▁being ▁separated ▁from ▁her ▁Puerto ▁R ican ▁hom eland , ▁phys ically ▁and ▁cult ur ally , ▁and ▁being ▁fully ▁integrated ▁neither ▁in ▁New ▁Jersey ▁nor ▁in ▁Puerto ▁Rico . ▁Mar is ol ▁represents ▁a ▁migr ant ▁conscious ness , ▁typ ifying ▁Puerto ▁R ican ▁and ▁other ▁migr ants ▁who ▁are ▁in ▁a ▁constant ▁state ▁of ▁identity ▁formation ▁and ▁development ▁as ▁they ▁move ▁from ▁place ▁to ▁place . ▁ ▁Culture ▁ ▁The ▁religious , ▁political , ▁and ▁social ▁atmosphere ▁of ▁the ▁characters ' ▁h omet own