Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Jonathan Green (Daddy)

Stay with us on this one, because Daddy goes through a lot of changes in the book that sometimes make it hard to see why we would identify him as Toswiah/Evie's guide/mentor.

Before the shooting and the trial, when Daddy is a respected Denver cop, it's easy to see that his daughters both look up to and respect him. After the family's relocation to the Northeast, though, Daddy becomes a failed guide/mentor, which contributes to the family's sense of hopelessness: The person they depended on suddenly changes and shows weakness, which makes them all feel they must find another solid point. As Daddy recovers from his suicide attempt, though, we see in his interactions with Toswiah/Evie that he's on his way to becoming a strong guide again.

Mentors can get off track, too, and true guides find their way back, no matter how tough doing so may seem.