Characters
Mamá Ana
Mamá Ana is Rita's lively and sociable grandmother with whom she spends her summer. Short, warm, and round, she has a love for soap operas, but her constant attention feels overwhelming to Rita. When Rita practices deep breathing exercises, Mamá Ana mistakenly thinks she's wheezing from asthma and fusses over Rita's "condition" throughout the story. At first, Rita finds her grandmother to be suffocating and intrusive, but eventually, she comes to appreciate her knack for making every day feel like a celebration.
Maribel Hernández Jones
Maribel Hernández Jones is Angela's glamorous mother, known for her roles in toothpaste commercials. Wealthy from a previous marriage, she lives in a pink house that Rita finds absurd. Despite this, she genuinely cares for her daughter and takes her condition seriously. She enlists Papá Juan to help cure Angela and follows his advice to rid her home of evil spirits and part ways with her boyfriend.
Angela Hernandez
Angela is the anorexic girl whom Papá Juan is called upon to heal. Her refusal to eat and communicate stems from her mother's abusive boyfriend, who is thought to be a bad influence. Encouraged by Mamá and Papá, the boyfriend is removed from the household, leading to Angela's improved health. Having spent time in New York, Angela speaks English and shares a certain cultural sophistication with Rita. Their friendship helps Rita feel more connected to the island.
Meli
Meli is Rita's friend from back home who is sent to a convent for the summer. After being caught trying to spend the night at Meli's boyfriend's house, both she and Rita were grounded. Meli seems to enjoy her time at the convent, as she plans to attend a Catholic school in the fall.
Joey Molieri
Joey Molieri is Meli's boyfriend and Johnny's partner in trying to woo Rita and Meli. When comparing notes, Rita and Meli discover that the lines used on them by the boys were exactly the same.
Papá Juan
Papá Juan is Rita's quirky, spiritualist grandfather, reputedly blessed with special abilities that allow him to understand people's innermost feelings. Upon arriving on the island, Rita initially thinks her grandfather is senile for comforting his emotional rooster and recounting her dreams. Although she initially mocks his work as "Ghostbusting," she eventually realizes he is a keenly intuitive man and learns from him. His efforts to cure Angela and her mother of their "bad influence" pique Rita's interest and draw her into island life.
Rita
Rita is the witty and sarcastic fifteen-year-old protagonist of "Bad Influence." At the start of her story, she is sent away from her home in Paterson, New Jersey, to spend the summer with her grandparents in Puerto Rico. This trip is meant to be an alternative to spending the summer in a convent and is intended to separate her from her boyfriend, Johnny Ruiz. Furious about this decision, Rita provides a lot of sarcastic and adolescent commentary about her experiences in Puerto Rico. Initially, she tries hard to distance herself from her grandparents and the island life, viewing everything through a critical and often humorous teenage lens. However, as time goes on, her perspective begins to change. She makes a new friend and starts engaging more with her family and the culture of her homeland.
Rita's Mother
Rita's mother is the one who decides to send her to Puerto Rico for the summer, thereby disrupting her relationship with her boyfriend. As a result, at the beginning of the story, Rita harbors significant resentment towards her. When her mother arrives on the island later in the summer, she is nervous,...
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expecting more of Rita's anger. However, by this time, Rita has softened, and they manage to reconnect warmly.
Johnny Ruiz
Johnny Ruiz is Rita's boyfriend and the reason she is exiled to the island for the summer. According to Rita, Johnny can date any girl he wants and typically dates older girls, expecting to have intimate relationships with them. Rita gets caught trying to spend the night with him, and after she is grounded, Johnny tells her that despite thinking her family is crazy, he will give her another chance in the fall. However, during her summer in Puerto Rico, Rita's view of Johnny changes, and by the end of the story, she and her friend Angela see him as a troubled young man.