Lolo Character Analysis

Lolo is Ann’s second husband whom she married when Barack was about six years old. Lolo is a handsome Indonesian man, and he and Ann met in Hawaii. Then, he spoke about helping Indonesia by getting his education in the U.S. and returning to serve his country. It’s implied that Ann fell for him in large part because of these dreams. However, when Ann and Barack join him in Indonesia after a year of separation, Lolo seems different—he’s quieter and no longer so optimistic about life, and he turns to alcohol. Eventually, Ann discovers that this shift occurred because Lolo was forced to return to Indonesia by the authoritarian government, had his passport seized, and was briefly imprisoned. Ann believes that Lolo “made peace with power” and is simply trying to get by in a country he knows he cannot trust. Despite the fact that this leads to fights between Lolo and Ann, Lolo is an important father figure to Barack who takes his role seriously. Barack often turns to Lolo for advice or clarification of what he sees in Indonesia, such as deep poverty, unfamiliar spiritual beliefs, or sudden death. Lolo encourages Barack to be strong and stoic. Ultimately, about the time that Barack returns to the U.S. to live with his grandparents and attend Punahou, Lolo and Ann separate. They have one daughter together, Maya, and remain cordial through their divorce and in the following years. Ann helps Lolo travel to the U.S. a decade after their divorce to receive medical treatment, but he dies of a liver condition.