First novel

Published in 2003

Won the Branford Boase Award

5 Archetypes:

Loner Hero- El Gato is the hero in this book but he is more specifically in my opinion the Loner Hero because most of his growing up is done isolated away from others. He learns skills of the game and of life on his own and prefers to do so. "I just got pushed farther and farther out to the edge of the game...I decided to give up soccer...And it was giving up soccer that made me a soccer player." (Page 5)

Fallen Mentor- The Keeper is the Fallen Mentor in this story because he wants for El Gato what he and his teammates tried to accomplish in the past but never did. "I cannot be wrong about you..if i am wrong about you we are all stuck." (Page 63)

Wise Old Man- Uncle Feliciano is the wise old man because he always seems to know what El Gato is up to and gives him meaningful advice on tough decisions in his life. "Trust the forest...respect it. You are not exploring it...it is exploring you." (Page 23)

Gossip/Networker- Nobody takes a better place for this archetype then the reporter Paul Faustino. He thrives on juicy stories, famous people, and his career. "Faustino was already thinking. He was thinking about lost sales. He was thinking about a lost bonus, about losing his job. He was thinking about lawsuits." (Page 205)

Addict- El Gato's father can be categorized as the workaholic. He doesn't realize the effect it has but feels like he has no choice. He has to run the family. "He said that he had never missed a day of work in his life-which was probably true-and didn't intend to start now." (Page 176)

5 Universal Themes

Love and Hate- The love one has for something and how hard one is willing to work for it. Examples relating to Brazil include sports, family, the earth (rainforest destruction) etc.

Good/Evil-When one lives a life of goodness they will be rewarded. Brazil is a place where hard work and dedication is a main factor to sucess.

Inoncence and Experience- Everybody goes through the journey of life beginning with innocence and ending with experience.

Life and Death-One musn't waste time doing something they don't enjoy because life is short.

Society and the inividual- One must decided what is right for them and what is right for society.

5 Allusions-

World Cup/European Cup-

Occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition. Trophy of course is awarded. "Every soccer player in the world wanted it...The World Cup." (Page 2)

Holy Virgin-

Mother of Jesus "praying to the Holy Virgin"(Page 97)

Rio De Janiero-

2nd largest city in Brazil "They were favorites to win the World Cup in Rio De Janeiro in 1950" (page 216)

El Gato-

His nickname. Spanish for "The Cat", "El Gato excused himself..." (Page 33)

Tarzan-

Boy raised in the Jungle, movie, "playing a part in a Tarzan movie" (Page 120)

15 Examples of Imagery

1) The description of the rainforest, personification, page 10:

It would send long green fingers across the cleared spaces to climb up walls and lift the roofs off our houses 2)Description of dripping blood, simile, page 70:

I saw the blood in the air, droplets of blood like a string of red beads

3)Description of the cheering from the crowd, metaphor, page 97,

The loggers in the crowd let loose a storm of whistles and screams

4) Description of one of the men, "sight" page 120

His jacket it seemed to me was woven out of light. He wore a silky black polo-neck sweater, and his black trousers were tucked into calf-height brown leather boots.

5)Description of Jungle, "sound", page 202

Howling, birdcalls, the vibration in the air of millions of insects, the fierce irresistable wind hurling through the trees

6)Personification/Alliteration page 202

The storm was saying GATO! GATO!

7)Description of the World Cup, hyperbole, page 2

Every soccer player in the world wanted it

8)Simile, page 38

So now again he'd snap, like a rope carrying too much weight.

9)Description of the Jaguar, sight, page 65

I saw how she carried her beauty while i stuggled not to wet myself from fear. I saw how she carried the broken light of the forest on her fur, the dark markings against the plae gold and i saw that these markings gathered themselves like the petals of black roses.

10)Alliteration 118-

Hey! Hey! Wipe your greasy hand before you shake this man!

11)Simile, 211

...but then a smile lifted into it like a rising sun.

12)Personification 88

The sunlight bounced off his perfectly bald head

13)Hyperbole, 85

On the long journey back in the truck i fell asleep...

14)Personification 85

Because of the racket from the other workbenches and growling from the generator, i did not hear the tractors returning from the forest.

15)Description of fly and spider, sight, page 46

One of those flies that storms conjure up was struggling in the sticky threads of the web, and the spider was making her way swiftly toward it. Her legs were tiger-striped in bands of brown and ginger. I wondered whether i was the spider or they fly.

Symbol:

The symbol in Keeper, is clearly the Keeper himself. He is a spirit of course but he is also what motivates El Gato to think for himself. He seems to always be with him but really he is not. El Gato grows up experiencing his own failures and his own climb to success.