Literary Redemption: The Story of Ulysses and Anonymous

Plot Summary

The protagonist is a young man who decides to leave home and quit school because he thinks no one understands him. His mother and his father have changed, and his father no longer appears at home. Cali, his best friend, advises him not to leave, but he stops attending high school. One day, in his mailbox, there appeared a book that Cali had recommended. As if it were a gift of the Magi, books continued appearing in his mailbox.

During that time, he used to go to the subway station where he met his friend after she finished her classes. It was a place where he liked to watch people and think. One day, he saw a blind man who sang ballads to earn money. The boy approached him, and from that day until after the summer, the boy was with the blind man every day, reading books to him. Through these readings, the blind man gave him advice for life.

Character Analysis

Ulysses: The Protagonist

Ulysses is the protagonist, a 16-year-old boy who decides to leave home. His mother does not understand him, and his father, an alcoholic, has left home without saying anything. He is a guy who does not care about anything, is very thoughtful, and overthinks things. He is not interested in literature in high school at first, but he learns to love reading.

Cali: The Loyal Friend

Cali is the best friend of Ulysses; she helps and advises him. Cali is a clever girl who sees reality and does not deceive herself or anyone around her. She is also 16 years old, the daughter of a French dentist, and studies in the same course and class as Ulysses. She has brown skin, black hair, and black eyes, described as having skin "of a bronze alloy impossible dream."

The Blind Man: Anonymous

The blind man is a poor man apparently wandering across the subway entrances, singing and reciting romances for the blind. Ulysses stays with him, and the man prompts him to read books of literature. This man, who calls himself Anonymous, proves to be Ulysses' father and the architect of the whole plot. He dies at the end of the work, leaving Ulysses to take his place and revealing his identity as his father via a letter. He is also a human statue and a clown in the subway. As Ulysses himself notes, he is a "Wise Man" and a "guardian angel."

Secondary Characters

• The Mother of Ulysses: She takes part in the story in a secondary way as a woman forsaken and without interest in anything; she is part of the "Three Kings" of Ulysses.
• The Teacher of Literature: An important part of the story, though not very directly involved, she is also part of the plot in favor of Ulysses.
• El Guille: An old friend and classmate of Ulysses who, along with two friends, intimidates and stabs the blind man in the shoulder.