Week 12: Papi – Rita Indiana
by kenwardt
I quite enjoyed reading Papi this week. Rita Indiana does a great job of narrating through the lens of a little girl who enjoys any moment she can have with her father. I found it funny how in the beginning, the narrator describes her father as being “like Jason, the guy from Friday the 13th. Or like Freddy Kreuger” (p.1). Even though people are fearful of him, the daughter has him on a pedestal. I guess she doesn’t understand why he does the things he does but she likes how he is very wealthy and can buy whatever he wants, even multiples of the same things. “My Papi has more of everything than your papi, he’s stronger than yours, he has more hair, more muscle, more money, and more girlfriends than yours” (p.8). Weird flex but okay. Her father is a tough gangster that acts like a caudillo, but she can’t wrap her hear around that and I applause it as it feels authentic, like I’m reading the work of a young child who just loves her dad.
Papi is like a well know celebrity in his hometown, and crowds form to swarm Papi everytime he comes back to visit. He is a superstar, and is treated like one. To the narrator, Papi is like a superhero, and does whatever he needs to provide for his family to live a lavish lifestyle.
As the narrator grows up, she realizes that her dad is not who she once thought he was. This coming of age realization happens to just about every child. Their role models are flawed just like any other human being, and that can be upsetting and is like a loss of innocence for the child. In reality, Papi was an irresponsible father that neglected his child.
Due to the imagination of the narrator as a child, she thought the father’s neglect was like a game. How you wouldn’t know when he was coming back was sort of like a messed up version of hide and seek, but it wouldn’t take a few minutes for him to come back and “find her” – more like weeks/months. Play is seen throughout the book, from the narrators creative imagination as well as through the way the story is written.
My question to you all this week is do you think if Papi was not a superstar in his hometown, but still neglected his daughter to the same extent, would the daughter still feel so excited to see him everytime he came back?
I am glad to know that you enjoyed reading the novel. The father is central to the story but in reality we know little about him, and we can intuit some things “behind” the daughter’s fantasy. “Play is seen throughout the book, from the narrators creative imagination as well as through the way the story is written.” Is there a moment in the plot that you found particularly interesting? In which you have enjoyed the overflowing imagination of the narrator?
Hi! In response to your question: I do not think she would idolise him to anywhere near the extent she does in the novella. Her father is absent so she does not actually know him. Her image of him is largely informed by what she is told and this larger than life version of him that the community around her constructs of him. It is their appraisal of Papi that makes her also want to be him.
Hi Kenward, great post! Interesting comparison to her father’s neglect being like a game as well. I never really looked at it that way, but I can see how his unpredictability and flamboyant nature could read as such. Really interesting question too. To answer, I would say she would still be excited to see her father at the same level. I didn’t read her excitement as a result of his material things, but instead the feeling of attention that he gave her. Her feeling of importance and superiority by being an original family member also speaks to how much she valued his high opinion and attention.
Hi Kenward! I think you pose a really interesting question. I think she would still be excited to see him, regardless of his social status within the community. That said, it would be to a lesser extent because there wouldn’t be the same feeling of external validation from other people’s reactions, and she may not have felt the same pride. I imagine her patience with his mistreatment of her would have run out much quicker too.
Hi Kenward, I think your question is very interesting and quite difficult to answer. In my opinion, I think the daughter would have still had some excitement and admiration towards her father while she was still very young. Later on things would have changed as she grasped reality through the eyes of someone more mature. Nevertheless, the excitement and admiration portrayed in the book compared to the one in which Papi was not a superstar would not be the same at all.
Hi Kenward, I really liked your description of the plot, a sort of coming of age for the narrator as she realizes who her dad really is. It’s interesting to think of this through the lens of play, like you mention, I think it’s really fitting for the narrator’s age and contributes to the effect of the magical realism. To answer your question, I think the narrator would find another way to “superhero” her dad. Every child thinks their parent is invincible and I imagine this cognitive dissonance would find a way to persist in the absence of his wealth.
“How you wouldn’t know when he was coming back was sort of like a messed up version of hide and seek, but it wouldn’t take a few minutes for him to come back and “find her” – more like weeks/months.” Really love this take. “messed up version of hide and seek” really hits the point! To answer your question, I still think the daughter would have been excited to see papi even if papi had not been famous. Although the daughter flexes about papi’s possessions and wealth, I feel like her ‘attachment’ was more so towards papi (as a father figure) and not related to his wealth/ fame.
– Daniel C
I really liked your insight on the text. To answer your question, I think she would just because as kids we idealize our parents and most likely she would still do it even if he wasnt ¨popular¨or ¨famous¨in their town.
Hey Kenward,
I enjoyed reading your post. I think you bring up an interesting point about her gamifying her relationship with her father. To answer your discussion question, I think the strong image of him thats prevalent in their hometown makes it easier for his daughter to look past his neglect towards her and forgive more than she should because she is so young and impressionable.