Juana Character Analysis in The Farming of Bones

Juana is a housemaid in Señora Valencia’s home, and has worked for Don Ignacio for many years. Juana took care of multiple generations of Don Ignacio’s family, and is moved to tears by the birth of Señora Valencia’s children. Juana’s relationship with Don Ignacio’s family illustrates how feelings of belonging can supersede one’s individuality. For example, although she deeply desires a family of her own, Juana treats Señora Valencia and her children as a surrogate family; she has sacrificed her life to work for them, and has redefined her idea of home and family accordingly.

Juana Quotes in The Farming of Bones

The The Farming of Bones quotes below are all either spoken by Juana or refer to Juana. 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:

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Señor Pico Duarte bore the name of one of the fathers of Dominican independence […] His eyes lingered on his son, his heir […]“I will name him Rafael, for the Generalissimo,” he said as Juana reswaddled the children even more securely than before. The señora agreed to this name with a coy nod. And so the boy became Rafael like the Generalissimo, the president of the republic.

Related Characters: Señor Pico (speaker), Señora Valencia, Juana, Rafael, The Generalissimo / Trujillo

Page Number and Citation: 34–35

Explanation and Analysis: