5. Choose a secondary character & define his/her/their role in the story.

Frankie is a looming shadow, blanketing the past, present, and future of the Sullivan family. Despite having died before the film’s narrative begins, he heavily influences the mindset of the main characters. The experience of losing a young child weighs on the family, constantly invading their happiness. This grief is emphasized by each intricate detail, to the point where you can almost visualize the deceased child.

When tensions rise, Christy always holds Ariel; this behavior is a physical reminder of life and safety. She wraps herself around her younger sister and speaks in reassuring tones. This is Christy trying to do all of what she couldn’t do for Frankie now in the present. Her guilt hangs unresolved and unnoticed until her meaningful conversation with Johnny.

In the movie, there is emphasis on Ariel’s struggles with transitioning from Ireland to America. This emphasis disguises how the young girl copes with her brother’s death; many of her problems and complaints are relegated to issues with the move, rather than the culmination of frustration and sorrow. She releases some of her burdensome emotions at the ice cream parlor, but the moment is fleeting and relatively meaningless. Ariel struggles with these emotions until she finds proper outlets, such as spending time with Mateo.

Sarah is traumatized by the loss of Frankie; she consistently struggles to reconcile personal guilt and blame throughout the movie. When pregnant, she is consumed by the desperate instinct to protect her child. Sarah is persistent: she is adamant in carrying the child to full-term even if it could kill her. She becomes extremely protective and defensive, creating strife between her and Johnny. Sarah’s desire to provide her family with a child overwhelms any sense of self-preservation, demonstrating the depth of grief created by Frankie’s death. In an attempt to fill the void left by Frankie, she willingly risks leaving her two daughters motherless. This gamble is a great source of anxiety and frustration, only relenting after the child survives.

Johnny turns his anguish into perseverance; he relentlessly tries to provide for his family, only to feel the cumulative effects of crippling failure. He fails to save his son, he fails to provide the children with a safe environment, he fails to land an acting job, the list goes on and as a result, Johnny withdraws from his family. He becomes absorbed by his feelings of incompetence, and even his daughters notice the shift in their father’s demeanor.

Frankie’s death defines the Sullivan family; he influences their dispositions, fears, and mentalities. While not physically present in the storyline, the consequences of his death resonate through each family member. Frankie’s role is intangible, yet it is one of the most compelling forces in the film.

You have an amazing point Liam! Truth, lies, magic, none of it matters as much as its effect it has on others. The lemon drops might not have magical healing properties but that’s no indicator it didn’t help Mateo feel better. Often times our own perception of an objects effect is greater in contribution than the object in question. When I was younger, I used to have a lucky pencil. Whenever I was taking an important exam, I would use it. The confidence it granted me likely helped me time doubting myself. The pencil itself was just a regular pencil which I had fooled myself into believing it lucky, but in the end the lie ended up being a comfort to me. In the film the most opposed to white lies was Johnny. Johnny often outright refused to provide or believe in these comforts, even when it was to calm his own children. He was painfully aware of reality, unwilling to take comfort in fantasy- an unorthodox mindset for an actor to be sure. When they all are waving goodbye, it was Johnny who had initiated the white lie. After so much stress over financial burdens Johnny had accepted Mateo’s magic, the strength of comfort, and finally said goodbye to Frankie. So, I agree. Truth, white lies, or anything in between. We’ll never be able to understand reality so why not allow refuge in fantasies?

Hi Zara,
Frankie is not a secondary character but the main character of the story, so much so that the movie title could have (and I think should have) included Frankie. He is always the elephant in the room, and even at the end of the movie when Johnny finally allows himself to grieve, Frankie is still a hard name for the whole family to say out loud. Frankie is integral to every character’s story arc, even Matteo who is not even related to Frankie. He feels for the Sullivan family, especially since they are grieving their loss of Frankie and he is grieving his own soon and inevitable death. Also, the movie can be split into sections by who is taking the blame for Frankie’s death, as guilt is tossed around from Sarah to Johnny and even to Cristy. He even contributes to the story from the grave through “granting” wishes for the family such as Johnny winning the ball-throw. Protagonist himself, Frankie is the story of In America.