We The Animals

Paps is the father of Manny, Joel, and the narrator. He is the original animal, and the boys, especially Manny and Joel, want to follow in his footsteps. At points, he can be very passionate, charming, funny, loving, and kind. However, he is also violent and impulsive. He believes he is always right and takes what he wants. The narrator reveals that Paps was beaten as a child, which could contribute to the tenor of his own disciplinary methods. Though he loves Ma and the children, he also thinks that he has lessons to teach them, and some of that involves abuse. He hits Ma, and he rapes her. Paps is often frustrated and disappointed and wonders if any of the family will ever make it. However, he does exhibit a certain tenderness toward the narrator. He marvels at his dancing even though it bends gender rules, and when he finds out that the narrator is gay and the narrator throws a wild fit, he bathes him before they take him to the mental institution. Though Paps could never be described as the perfect father or a model husband, he is certainly a force who often has the intention of teaching his boys the right way to go about things, though it doesn’t always translate into good.

Ma is the mother of Manny, Joel, and the narrator. At the beginning of the novel, the narrator describes her as confused, crying, needy, aching, and sick. Her job at the brewery contributes to this mixed-up nature, as she works at night and often does not know what day it is, making the boys go to bed in the afternoon or cooking dinner in the morning. At one point, when they point out that she is discombobulated, she admits that she dislikes her life. She is prone to even more dramatics and unexpected actions. Sometimes she will yell at the boys for their antics; other times, she will participate. She has a lot of nostalgia in regard to the boys’ births, and when the boys are covered in ketchup and moisturizer, she comments that they look like they did when they were born.

When she tells them about sex, she mentions that Manny felt like a bomb in her stomach. She also tells them that she first became pregnant when she was 14. The idea that she is just in her early twenties with three kids and a husband perhaps plays a role in her unpredictable character—she is really just a young adult herself. This naivete combined with her work hours contribute to her lack of clarity of thought. When she tries to take the boys and leave Paps, she falls asleep in the car and then asks them to help her decide whether they should leave. They cannot help decide, and she goes back to the man who has hit her and raped her, but also made her feel less vulnerable and scared. She will never escape because she doesn’t quite want to, or doesn’t know what she would do if she were to leave. 

The eldest brother, Manny, is the boss of the three brothers. He makes the choices about what games they play and what mischief they will get into. He decides what their rules are. As a result, he’s also the one who gets hit the most and the hardest when Paps is meting out punishment. Manny doesn’t do very well in school, but as the oldest sibling, he has a certain intelligence. Manny becomes obsessed with God, whom he believes will be able to release them from their difficult lives. When he realizes God cannot do this, he becomes obsessed with “black magic,” an insidious, elusive force, that he believes can kill a man and proves God’s existence. He also has a strange sense of humor, and the courage to send snarky verbal comebacks to Paps, which results in him getting punished the most. This makes him the boldest, but perhaps contributes to his own violent tendencies. Manny is the one who suggests that they should have killed the woman who told them they shouldn’t be sitting on the bridge. He is also the instigator of attacks against the narrator.

Joel is the middle brother. He is often fighting with Manny. He also enjoys breaking Manny’s rules and riling him up. He is a bit kinder to the narrator than Manny is. They have a moment where they’re playing nicely in the crawlspace, jokingly pretending to be Paps and Ma fighting and/or making up on the phone. When they realize they can’t resolve their parents’ problems in a play phone conversation, the moment turns serious. Mostly, however, Joel either starts fights with Manny or follows his lead. 

Lina is Ma’s boss at the brewery. When Paps leaves Ma and she is despondent, not showing up to work for days, Lina comes over. She is a big woman from China, and the boys tell her she will not fit in the door. She reassures them that she is much less imposing when she takes her shoes off. She brings food for the boys, but warns them that they’ll choke on it if they’re not careful. Lina loses interest when Ma comes into the room, and calls her “comrade” (32). She hugs Ma for a long time, and kisses her cheeks, and then her lips, and holds her lips against Ma’s.