Characterisations

The main character in the short story “The Weekly Visit” by Emanuel Melo is Jake, who is also the protagonist. His mother is the other character who is mentioned in the story; she is the one who triggers Jake’s reactions and feelings.

Jake

Jake is a young man whose father has died five years ago. This is the main reason behind the weekly visits. Every Tuesday evening, he gets on the bus that takes him to his mother’s house. He has been doing it for five years and, at the moment when the story unfolds, he has become quite sick of this tradition: “The long walk to her house gives him time to decompress after a long day at work and ward off the resentment of duty that brings him here to her front door in the first place.” (ll. 2-4)

The previous statement clearly shows that the feeling of duty is the only one making him continue the tradition. There is no indication of love or affection towards his mother. When they hug, Jake is surprised to realise that he is too tired to feel love:

“His heart is rigidly cold against her and he himself does not really understand how it got to be this way. He did love her before and maybe he still does but he’s so tired that he no longer feels it.” (ll. 48-50)

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The mother

Jake’s mother is portrayed as being sick and overweight. This is the reason why her son visits her every Tuesday, to care for her and do the things that she can no longer do: She is old and quite unconscious about the effects that a hectic lifestyle can do to her. She loves to eat, and Jake always tries to make her understand that it is not healthy: “The door opens to reveal his mother: short and overweight from too many sweets and cakes...” (ll. 12-13); “She has a very sweet tooth and each meal must include a chocolate pudding or a crème caramel.” (ll. 70-71)

She is also truly sick and unable to do the things she used to do before. This is why Jake still maintains a polite attitude towards her, as he knows that she is not pretending:

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