My Sweet Orange Tree characters

Appears from the start

A precocious five-year-old boy in a poor Brazilian family. He has taught himself to read, invents elaborate games, and is blamed for so much mischief that he sometimes accepts the family's judgment that he is bad. Beneath his defiance he is imaginative, observant, and hungry for affection.

Appears from the start

Zezé's older brother and frequent guide to the world beyond the house. Totoca teaches him practical things and shares some adventures with him, but also participates in the rough family discipline that makes affection and cruelty difficult for Zezé to separate.

Appears from the start

Zezé's very young brother, whom he calls King Luís. Zezé invents games and imaginary journeys for him and treats the smaller child with the tenderness he often wishes the older members of the family would show him.

Appears from the start

Zezé's older sister and his most dependable protector at home. Glória recognizes the hurt beneath his troublesome behavior and intervenes when the punishments inflicted on him become too severe.

Appears from the start

One of Zezé's older sisters. Burdened with household responsibilities in a family under severe financial strain, Jandira often responds sharply to Zezé's tricks and disobedience.

Appears from the start

Zezé's mother, who works long hours at a factory to support the family while her husband is unemployed. Exhaustion and poverty keep her away much of the time, though Zezé understands how heavily the household depends on her labor.

Appears from the start

Zezé's father, unemployed and demoralized by his inability to provide for a large family. His shame and anger shape the tension at home, and Zezé both longs for his approval and fears the punishment that can follow a mistake.

Appears from the start

An older relative who treats Zezé's intelligence seriously. Uncle Edmundo explains unfamiliar words and ideas, encouraging the boy's curiosity and helping him imagine a larger world than the poverty surrounding his family.

Also known as Xururuca

First appears in chapter 2

The small sweet-orange tree Zezé claims when the family moves house. Too young and slight to interest the older children, it becomes his confidant and imaginary companion, answering him in the private world through which he makes sense of loneliness and pain.

First appears in chapter 4

Zezé's teacher, who recognizes both his unusual intelligence and the deprivation hidden behind his behavior. Her patient kindness makes school one of the few places where he can earn approval without first being treated as a problem.

Also known as Portuga

First appears in chapter 6

The Portuguese owner of a fine car that Zezé tries to ride by clinging to its spare wheel. He catches the boy during the dangerous stunt and humiliates him, becoming someone Zezé angrily vows to avoid.

First appears in chapter 8

A traveling singer who sells song sheets and lets Zezé accompany him through the streets. Their outings give the boy work, music, conversation, and a temporary escape from the strain of home.