Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Many Characters, Changing Roles

Okay, no surprise here: Bel Canto doesn't exactly follow the rules on most character roles, really. It's not exactly the kind of book with one main hero, and it's not really the kind with just one Dumbledore or Mr. Miyagi, either. Many of the characters take a turn playing guide or mentor, even if briefly.

For example: Messner is something of a guide to the hostages and the terrorists, though not all of them are good at listening to his advice. Roxane is a mentor to the young singer Cesar, Ruben Iglesias is a guide to the young soldier Ishmael, Gen the translator is a guide to several people in language, and Simon Thibault is something of a mentor in cooking (he could have his own Food Network show). Though Carmen is a teenager and Mr. Hosokawa is decades older, she's his mentor in terms of moving quietly around the house.

All this underlines some of the big themes of the novel: when human beings explore their emotions and capabilities in a strange or tough situation, they're often capable of surprising transformations. And the unexpected new roles they take on can mean playing a mentor, or a mentee, when you thought you'd just be sitting with your hands tied for a few months.