Character Description

Silvia is one of the main female characters in this novel. At the beginning of the novel, it seems as if she pays no attention to her son Sonny. Silvia comes off as self-centered and cares for nothing but herself and her well-being. Sonny talks about her saying she is never home, always going out with her friends and when she is home it’s only for a short time. Sonny said “It was that my mom, if she wasn’t at her job, was out on dates and whatever. And sometimes she’d get in so late I wouldn’t be awake. That was better for me than when she was home, because when she was home, though I lived there and slept there, it was better to be inside a neighbor’s house than pissing her off” (pg. 5). By the way Sonny talks about Silvia it seems that she takes no interest in her son’s life. Silvia is too caught up in her own world, whether it is because of dating or her job. When Silvia brings Cloyd home to meet Sonny for the first time Cloyd starts asking Sonny questions about himself and his interests. Silvia joins in on the conversation and says '“Maybe he likes baseball… Don’t you mijo?” She had no idea. We never talked nothing about me’ (pg. 12). This quote goes to show how disconnected Silvia is from Sonny. Its obvious Silvia isn’t around to take care of Sonny, nurture him, give him advice, and teach him right from wrong. Silvia isn’t your average mother figure. Sonny describes his mother to be somewhat of a sexual object, “I was always seeing how men looked at her… How pretty she was in the way men are flipping through pages of dirty magazines” (pg. 10). It is obvious that Silvia is desirable to men, for example, Cloyd. When Silvia sits next to Cloyd he can’t help but to admire her, “He looked up at her like he was the luckiest man because her warm body was next to him, thank you, thank you Lord. She made her eyes go like she’s so flattered, and you’re welcome” (pg. 13). Through out the novel people such as, Bud and his wife show some sort of admiration for Silvia. They both speak about how beautiful and good looking she is. Once Cloyd and Silvia got married, it seemed as if Silvia tried to make a change in her relationship with Sonny. Now that she’s married she doesn’t have to worry about bringing in any income, having a job, and she’s not going out as much as she used to. She definitely has more free time on her hands. It seems as if she wants a relationship with Sonny now that she is married. She makes more of an effort to communicate with Sonny and she’s always asking him “what’s wrong?” yet she still fails to spend much time, if any at all, with him. Silvia doesn’t seem to be the most sincere person. What were her reasons for marrying Cloyd? Was she really in love or did she do it for financial stability? Nowhere in the book does it say why she got married to Cloyd, but it’s obvious she is not happy with her situation. Silvia and Sonny are always walking on egg shells around Cloyd. She does her best to make sure nothing is said or done to make him angry. Silvia is always trying to convince herself, as well as Sonny, that it’s good they’re living with Cloyd now. Silvia’s heart isn’t in the marriage. She is always questioning herself as well as reassuring herself that she made the right decision moving into Cloyd’s apartment.