Another female character that has a rather perplexing relationship with her father is Gabi from Isabel Quintero’s Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. While Gabi’s father’s presence in the book is that of a revolving door, the relationship between the two is similar to that of Diondra’s and her father. Gabi’s father is a drug addict and spends little time with his family before his untimely demise (Quintero p. 30, 152). Although Gabi’s father is basically removed from the picture for the majority of the novel, that does not yield Gabi from adopting the Electra Complex. Since Gabi’s father is never around for Gabi to tangibly express her feelings, she hopelessly deflects her feelings onto fellow classmates that fail to measure up to the standards of her
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Gabi views her mother as an obstacle standing in the way of her furthering her relationship with her father. Their relationship is rocky and Gabi herself describes it as a “light switch” relationship (Quintero p. 25). Gabi seems to become even more envious of her mother when she gets pregnant, unlike her brother, Beto, who is excited about the announcement (Quintero p. 83). Her disdain for her mother stems from the jealously she feels towards her mother’s and father’s relationship. She wishes she could her mother, but ultimately realizes that she never will be. Once Gabi realizes her chances of pursuing her father are rather slim, she begins to date Eric, a classmate that Gabi describes as “he smokes a little too much weed…but my dad is an edict,” (Quintero p. 46). Ultimately, Gabi’s relationship with Eric is short-lived and she finds herself hopelessly looking for love (Quintero p. 103). She finally stumbles up Martin, and then her Electra Complex begins to unravel itself. It is not until Gabi’s father passes away unexpectedly that Gabi realizes she will never be able to obtain a more intimate relationship with her father. Her feelings of jealousy and disdain for her mother disappear rather rapidly due to her no longer viewing her mother as a component in the game for her father’s love and affection. Although Gabi ends the novel struggling with her decease father, she seems to find …show more content…
Gabi is not vocal about her depression, but it still manages to seep into her writing from time to time. Gabi first mentions the word “depressed” in her list she makes of words she has learned as a result of her father’s addiction (Quintero p. 38). Instead of facing her mental health issues and resolving them, Gabi searches for love in all the wrong places. She dates Eric, a textbook definition of a “bad boy,” and continues to hide a possible eating disorder. Gabi stashes food in hidden spaces and constantly refers to herself as a “fat girl”, both are symptoms of eating disorder which can stem from depression (Quintero p. 78, 130). Gabi craves to get out of Santa Maria though, which may be one of the reasons why she feels depressed. When she visited San Francisco once, she said it made her feel, “alive and motivated, and inspired,” (Quintero p. 84). While some may mistake Gabi’s “rebellion” as a pushback against her parents, it is apparent that her antics are a coping method and possibly a cry for
Gabi views her mother as an obstacle standing in the way of her furthering her relationship with her father. Their relationship is rocky and Gabi herself describes it as a “light switch” relationship (Quintero p. 25). Gabi seems to become even more envious of her mother when she gets pregnant, unlike her brother, Beto, who is excited about the announcement (Quintero p. 83). Her disdain for her mother stems from the jealously she feels towards her mother’s and father’s relationship. She wishes she could her mother, but ultimately realizes that she never will be. Once Gabi realizes her chances of pursuing her father are rather slim, she begins to date Eric, a classmate that Gabi describes as “he smokes a little too much weed…but my dad is an edict,” (Quintero p. 46). Ultimately, Gabi’s relationship with Eric is short-lived and she finds herself hopelessly looking for love (Quintero p. 103). She finally stumbles up Martin, and then her Electra Complex begins to unravel itself. It is not until Gabi’s father passes away unexpectedly that Gabi realizes she will never be able to obtain a more intimate relationship with her father. Her feelings of jealousy and disdain for her mother disappear rather rapidly due to her no longer viewing her mother as a component in the game for her father’s love and affection. Although Gabi ends the novel struggling with her decease father, she seems to find …show more content…
Gabi is not vocal about her depression, but it still manages to seep into her writing from time to time. Gabi first mentions the word “depressed” in her list she makes of words she has learned as a result of her father’s addiction (Quintero p. 38). Instead of facing her mental health issues and resolving them, Gabi searches for love in all the wrong places. She dates Eric, a textbook definition of a “bad boy,” and continues to hide a possible eating disorder. Gabi stashes food in hidden spaces and constantly refers to herself as a “fat girl”, both are symptoms of eating disorder which can stem from depression (Quintero p. 78, 130). Gabi craves to get out of Santa Maria though, which may be one of the reasons why she feels depressed. When she visited San Francisco once, she said it made her feel, “alive and motivated, and inspired,” (Quintero p. 84). While some may mistake Gabi’s “rebellion” as a pushback against her parents, it is apparent that her antics are a coping method and possibly a cry for