Characters

The main character of "a strong dead man" by Daniel Alarcón is Rafael, a 16-year-old-boy with a Dominican-American background. The story is focused on Rafael's father's illness and Rafael's reactions to it, and events are mostly presented from Rafael's perspective.

The story also features Rafael's cousin Mario, as Rafael spends some time with him during his father's worst period, and they have conversations about life, death, and various other topics. 

Rafael’s relatives who come to visit the family after the father has his third stroke could be considered a collective character. Apart from Rafael’s aunt Aida, none of them are named. Their behavior is similar, as they are described as “making all the sounds of grieving: whimpering, crying, whispering” (ll. 9-10). They display the reactions one would expect from relatives faced with the death of a loved one. They seem distant to Rafael at first, probably because they do not know what to say to him. Also, since they are described from Rafael’s point of view, it is quite possible that he finds their presence overwhelming at the time.

Rafael’s friends could be considered a typical representation of children close to their early teens. Their reaction to the dead body shows they are not fully able to understand death, just yet. It could also suggest that their minds cannot grasp such a traumatic event, and they try to make jokes about it and change the subject.