Character Analysis for Joaquin from Far from The Tree by Robin Benway

Imagine, you knew that you have been in the foster system ever since you could remember or been adopted, but what you don’t know is that you have two siblings that live very close to you, and that you could find the people who are related to you by blood. You love the people who you're living with, but for one time you just want to find out what it's like to have someone related to you. Well, this is exactly what happened to Joaquin in the book Far from the Tree. Joaquin is one of the many characters to grow throughout the book. Joaquin has been shown to be jealous, caring, and brave within the book.

Joaquin has been shown to be caring. First, the text states “Maya was about to do something, say something, anything to release the pressure that she felt exploding in her chest, when suddenly Joaquin was up and moving so fast that no one saw him coming. In one smooth motion, he had Adam up against the wall, his forearm pressed across his chest, and Adam looked wide-eyed and scared, a fish out of water" (Benway 250). This scene was showing how Joaquin reacted when Grace started getting called rude names at the mall while she was with Joaquin and Maya. He did not even hesitate to pin Adam against the wall to teach him not to miss his sister. This reaction shows how deeply he cares for his sister and is willing to stop anyone who messes with them and even fight for them.

Joaquin has been shown to be brave. The text states “he had only told the story once before to ana Mark and Linda”(Benway 255). This is telling the story of the Buchanans and why he frightened himself by acting aggressively. He says that he was adopted once by a family when he was twelve years old, but that he could not bring himself to call them mom and dad. After the adoption was announced, he was starting fights with his parents and foster siblings, except for his new baby sister, Natalie. One day, during a tantrum or "meltdown," he picked up a stapler and flung it across the room, hitting a two-year-old Natalie on the head and knocking her over. His adoptive father threw Joaquin across the room and it broke his arm. This shows bravery because this story is something hard to tell and it is traumatizing to him and he makes himself vulnerable, something he does not do often.

Joaquin has been shown to be jealous of his sisters. Last, the text says "Joaquin laughed. He couldn’t help it. He envied Grace’s belief that someone would wonder about her"(Benway 94).  This is showing Grace wants to find her birth mother, and she wants her siblings to come with her. Joaquin was never adopted, and he’s been through the foster care system for 18 years. He thought that his mom never wanted him, never thought about him, never cared about him. That was in his mind every time he thought about his mother. He believed that the reason she gave him up was because she didn’t want him. He believed nobody cared for him, that no one wanted him. Later on, he found out that his mother did want him, and that he is loved, but she just couldn’t provide for him and thought of his mother not wanting him made him envious of Grace’s believing their mom wanted her.

In conclusion, Joaquin has been shown to be a dynamic character that changes he is jealous, caring, brave in the book. His actions have consequences for him; being vulnerable and brave allows him to be closer to his sister and him being caring also makes him closer to his sister and his jealousy leads him to be envious of his sisters. Although Joaquin has some negatives overall he is a positive character that helps develop the story and strength bonds with his sisters.