Jaime Mendoza: The Silent Father Who Found His Voice

Overview

Jaime Mendoza is the father of Aristotle (Ari) Mendoza in Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s novel Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. A Vietnam veteran, Jaime initially appears as a quiet, emotionally reserved man who keeps his distance from his son. Over the course of the story, he gradually opens up, revealing a deeply thoughtful, humble, and loving person. His sudden death from a heart attack becomes a defining moment that forces Ari to confront grief, embrace his own identity, and carry forward his father’s legacy.

Plot Role

Jaime functions as a secondary but pivotal figure in Ari’s emotional arc. He provides stability during Ari’s troubled relationship with his imprisoned brother, Bernardo, and becomes a source of wisdom during their camping trip. His death catalyzes Ari’s growth: Ari delivers a moving eulogy, learns the power of forgiveness from his mother’s example, and ultimately gains the courage to travel to Paris to reunite with Dante. Jaime’s backstory—including his promise to deliver a dying soldier’s message to the soldier’s parents—underscores the novel’s themes of honour and humanity.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

• Silence and watchfulness: Jaime admits, “I’ve always been a watcher” (Chapter 97). He rarely speaks but observes his family closely.
• Overcoming silence: On the camping trip to Fort Davis, he shares intimate stories—how he met and courted Liliana, and the night Ari may have been conceived—showing he can connect deeply when he chooses.
• Humility and justice: In his eulogy, Ari quotes Jaime’s own words: “Humility is in short supply in this country” (Chapter 106). Jaime fought his own racism and questioned America’s tendency to invent false narratives about others.
• Devotion to family: Jaime loves only Liliana and declares she is the only woman he ever loved (Chapter 97). He also shows love for Ari by taking him to visit Bernardo, despite the pain it causes.
• Forgiveness: After his death, Liliana forgives Mrs. Alvidrez, an act that Ari realises teaches him the word “forgiveness” (Chapter 100). Jaime’s own character had already modelled this trait by maintaining a connection with his sister Ophelia, whom his family had abandoned.

Chronological Arc

Relationships

• With Ari: The central relationship. Initially marked by silence, it deepens during the prison visit and camping trip. Ari eventually declares in his eulogy, “I am my father’s son” (Chapter 106). Jaime’s last journal entry advises Ari never to prove his manhood, a guiding principle Ari adopts.
• With Liliana: A devoted, equal partnership. Liliana says she falls in love with him again when she sees his stubbornness (Chapter 49 outline). They laugh together, and Jaime’s dying word is her name.
• With Bernardo: Painful and unresolved. Jaime admits “sometimes a father must let a son go” (Chapter 94). He had visited Bernardo before but found it difficult; he supports Ari’s visit but does not force reconciliation.
• With friends and community: Respected; Sam Quintana weeps at his funeral. Mrs. Alvidrez brings an apple pie, and Liliana forgives her—an act that teaches Ari about forgiveness.

Key Decisions and Consequences

1. Delivering a dying soldier’s message: Jaime travels to Los Angeles to tell a soldier’s parents, “Tell them I’ll see them next year in Jerusalem.” Consequence: This act of honour defines his legacy and is recounted in Ari’s eulogy.
2. Taking Ari to visit Bernardo: He helps Ari confront his past, leading to Ari’s liberation from a false childhood memory.
3. Keeping a journal and writing one final entry: He writes advice for Ari: “Never do anything to prove to anyone else… that you’re a man.” Consequence: Ari keeps the journal and lives by those words.
4. Choosing silence early on: This distances Ari but also makes his later openness more powerful. Ari later realises his father was not absent but that Ari himself had been blind to his love.
5. Dying in Ari’s arms: The traumatic event forces Ari to grieve and ultimately embrace his identity as someone who loves deeply.

Theme and Symbol Connections

• Love and Sacrifice: Jaime’s sacrifice of time and silence, his delivery of the soldier’s message, and his unwavering devotion to Liliana exemplify this theme.
• Family and Acceptance: He accepts Ari’s sexuality implicitly through his love for his lesbian sister Ophelia, whom he “loved more than any of his siblings” (Chapter 54).
• Grief and Healing: His death triggers Ari’s grief journey; the funeral and community support show healing.
• Identity and Coming Out: Jaime’s advice on manhood helps Ari redefine masculinity and accept his queer identity.
• Belonging vs. Exile: Jaime helps Ari feel at home in his family; after his death, Ari fears exile but is surrounded by loved ones.

Symbols:

• Name: Ari writes his father’s name in library books to keep it alive (Chapter 93).
• Dog tags: Ari wears Jaime’s dog tags at the funeral.
• Watch: At the Louvre, Ari wears his father’s watch and feels his presence (Chapter 159).
• Stars: The night Ari was conceived under the stars symbolises their bond (Chapter 97).
• Journal: The last entry becomes a moral compass for Ari.

5 Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. What does Jaime mean when he says “Humility is in short supply in this country”?
   He criticises a lack of humility in American society, urging people to seek it. Ari quotes this in his eulogy to honour his father’s wisdom (Chapter 106).

2. Why does Jaime take Ari to visit Bernardo in prison?
   He wants to help Ari confront his past and close that door. Jaime had visited Bernardo once himself and found it painful but helpful (Chapter 81 outline). The trip ultimately frees Ari from a false narrative about his brother.

3. How does Jaime react to Ari’s coming out?
   While no direct scene shows his reaction, his support is clear through his love for his sister Ophelia, a lesbian. Liliana tells Ari that Jaime “loved Ophelia more than any of his siblings” (Chapter 54), proving his acceptance of LGBTQ+ family members.

4. What is the significance of Jaime’s last journal entry for Ari?
   It advises Ari never to do anything to prove his manhood, “because you are a man.” Ari keeps the journal and vows to live by those words, using them as a guide (Chapter 100).

5. How does Jaime’s death affect Ari’s sense of identity?
   In his eulogy, Ari declares “I am my father’s son,” embracing his father’s legacy. The loss forces Ari to confront grief, but it also solidifies his identity as someone capable of deep love. It gives him the courage to go to Paris for Dante, as seen in the ending explained.

For more discussions, see the Questions and Answers page.