Francis Character Analysis in Mexican Gothic

Francis is Florence’s son, Howard’s nephew, and Noemí’s love interest. His father, Richard, died when Francis was just a boy, and Francis carries around a picture of him to remember him by. This is significant because Richard was forced to stay in High Place against his will, much like Catalina, and his suicide was a final act of rebellion against the Doyles. That Francis carries around his picture is an indicator that he is not as committed to Doyles as the other members of the family are. Without a doubt, Francis is the best proof that the Doyles’ beloved pseudoscience of eugenics is deeply flawed. Though the family insists that people have a certain nature, and that it’s impossible for a person to act outside their nature, Francis does just that. Despite the fact that he’s been groomed to willingly receive Howard Doyle’s consciousness as part of the Doyle family’s ritual for immortality, Francis ultimately rejects his family’s values and leaves High Place altogether.

Francis Quotes in Mexican Gothic

The Mexican Gothic quotes below are all either spoken by Francis or refer to Francis. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Sexism, Female Independence, and Power Theme Icon

“You’ll see it. It’s all very English. Um, that’s what Uncle Howard wanted, a little piece of England. He even brought European earth here.”

Related Characters: Francis (speaker), Noemí Taboada, Howard Doyle

Page Number and Citation: 18

Explanation and Analysis:

“When I was younger, I thought the world outside held such promise and wonders. I even went away for a bit and met a dashing young man. I thought he’d take me away, that he would change everything, change me,” Florence said, her face softened for the briefest moment. “But there’s no denying our natures. I was meant to live and die in High Place. Let Francis be. He’s accepted his lot in this life. It’s easier this way.”

Related Characters: Florence (speaker), Francis

Page Number and Citation: 115

Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s the house,” Francis murmured[…] “It wasn’t made for love, the house.”

“Any place is made for love,” she protested.

“Not this place and not us. You look back two, three generations, as far as you can. You won’t find love. We are incapable of such a thing.”

His fingers curled around the intricate iron bars, and he stood there, for a second, looking at the ground, before he opened the gate for her.

Related Characters: Francis (speaker), Noemí Taboada (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 154

Explanation and Analysis:

“There’s a cicada fungus. Massospora cicadina. I remember reading a journal article which discussed its appearance: the fungus sprouts along the abdomen of the cicada. It turns it into a mass of yellow powder. The journal said the cicadas, which had been so grossly infected, were still ‘singing,’ as their body was consumed from within. Singing, calling for a mate, half-dead. Can you imagine?” Francis said. “You’re right, I do have a choice. I’m not going to end my life singing a tune, pretending everything is fine.”

Related Characters: Francis (speaker), Noemí Taboada

Page Number and Citation: 232

Explanation and Analysis:

“Can you go on?”

“I think so,” he said. “I’m not sure. If I faint—”

“We can stop for a minute,” she offered.

“No, it’s fine,” he said.

“Lean on me. Come on.”

“You’re hurt.”

“So are you.”

He hesitated, but did rest a hand on her shoulder, and they walked together, with Catalina ahead of them.

Related Characters: Francis (speaker), Noemí Taboada (speaker), Catalina

Page Number and Citation: 279

Explanation and Analysis:

The future, she thought, could not be predicted, and the shape of things could not be divined. To think otherwise was absurd. But they were young that morning, and they could cling to hope. Hope that the world could be remade, kinder and sweeter. So she kissed him a second time, for luck. When he looked at her again his face was filled with such an extraordinary gladness, and the third time she kissed him it was for love.

Related Characters: Noemí Taboada (speaker), Francis

Page Number and Citation: 301

Explanation and Analysis:

Francis Character Timeline in Mexican Gothic

The timeline below shows where the character Francis appears in Mexican Gothic. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...steps out of the vehicle. Noemí introduces herself and the man says that he is Francis Doyle, sent by Uncle Howard (the patriarch of the Doyle family) to pick her up.... (full context)

...condition of the town and the end of the mine’s operation, the Doyles linger here. Francis drives the car up a narrow road, climbing higher and higher into the mountains. Fog... (full context)

...continues to intensify, and Noemi wonders how safe it is to drive on these roads. Francis seems capable, though. He’s shy, and Noemí generally doesn’t like shy men—but who cares, it’s... (full context)

Noemí compares Francis to Virgil, whom she met only briefly. Her mother would have said that Francis needs... (full context)

Francis opens the front door. They walk in, and Noemí sees the grand mahogany staircase, the... (full context)

With her back to Noemí, the woman introduces herself as Florence, Howard Doyle’s niece and Francis’s mother. She explains that she runs High Place—if Noemí needs anything, she should come to... (full context)

Francis sets Noemí’s suitcases down while Florence opens a chest. She pulls out a few candles... (full context)

Noemí insists on seeing Catalina. Florence initially refuses, but Francis interjects, reminding his mother that Noemí has traveled a great distance to see her cousin.... (full context)

...bearing the stylized D of the Doyles, though all the silver looks tarnished and dull. Francis is waiting for them, and the two women sit down. A maid serves a sweet,... (full context)

...her to accept this compliment, because he does not compliment people often. Then Howard asks Francis to help him up, since he’s tired and wishes to go to bed. The two... (full context)

It’s chilly outside the house, and Noemí regrets not wearing something warmer. Francis finds her and asks if she would like to take a tour of the grounds.... (full context)

Francis explains that after purchasing the mine, his great uncle Howard brought English workers here to... (full context)

The silence of the cemetery unnerves Noemí, so she starts chatting with Francis. He asks her what kind of car she drives, and she tells him: a pretty... (full context)

The conversation turns to the Doyles. Noemí asks Francis if he envies Virgil, the heir of the family. She compares the two men: Francis... (full context)

Noemí shivers, so Francis gives her his sweater. They start walking towards the house. Francis tells her more about... (full context)

Francis and Noemí return to the house and have lunch with Florence. The meal ends quickly—Virgil... (full context)

...can find Marta Duval. She figures her best bet of finding her is by asking Francis, since Florence won’t listen, and Virgil is irritated with her. It bothers Noemí to be... (full context)

Noemí tells Francis that she would like to ask him for a favor. She links her arm to... (full context)

...bottom of a ravine. He was only twenty-nine, and he left behind a young son: Francis. (full context)

...at her. Noemí steadies herself on the fireplace and looks around the room. She sees Francis, and it’s hard for her to imagine that Francis is related to this foul-smelling insect... (full context)

...to rule in her favor. Or at the very least, she could try to get Francis on her side. As Noemí leaves the greenhouse, she notices another ouroboros pattern in the... (full context)

...so Noemí decides to go left. She moves quickly in that direction, nearly bumping into Francis. (full context)

To Noemí, Francis has always seemed rather insubstantial. But now he appears perfectly solid and real. She tells... (full context)

Francis shows Noemí the mushrooms he has in the basket. Cantharellus cibarius. The Zapotec Indians used... (full context)

Noemí mentions that she’d like to have a cigarette, and Francis tells her that his mother wishes to speak with her about that. The family insists... (full context)

Noemí stops a few steps later. Francis has followed her. He bends down and picks up a mushroom that she has crushed.... (full context)

Usually the maid, Mary, or Florence comes to deliver Noemí’s breakfast, but this morning Francis knocks on her door, tray in hand. He’s helping his mother because Howard has terrible... (full context)

...about her age, with a hard-set mouth and an aggrieved look to her eyes. When Francis appears, she asks him who it is, and he tells her that it’s his cousin,... (full context)

Noemí says she’s heard about Ruth. She killed several people before killing herself. Francis points out all the people Ruth killed: her cousin Michael, her mother Alice, her aunt... (full context)

Francis spreads his prints on a table before Noemí. He shows her his plant pressings too.... (full context)

Though she’s having fun with Francis, Noemí is unable to get Marta Duval out of her mind. She asks Francis to... (full context)

The door to the library swings open and Florence walks in. Francis quickly stands up straight and shoves his hands in his pockets. Florence complains that while... (full context)

...to be someone, Florence says. She then demands to know what Noemí was talking to Francis about. Noemí tells her that they were just talking about spore prints, nothing more. But... (full context)

...our natures. Florence is meant to live and die in High Place, and so is Francis. Noemí needs to leave him be. (full context)

...last night. In the daylight the house hardly seems cursed or haunted. She meets with Francis, and he drives her to town. Noemí walks to Marta’s house, who invites her inside.... (full context)

...Catalina. She sends a letter to her father at the post office and then meets Francis. Rather than go back to High Place and face Virgil and Florence’s questions, Francis napped... (full context)

Francis asks Noemí if she finished all her errands, and she tells him that she talked... (full context)

Francis continues. He tells Noemí that his mother, Florence, tried to leave High Place, but she... (full context)

Noemí runs into the hallway and screams again for help. Finally Francis and Florence appear, and she tells them that Catalina is having a seizure. They all... (full context)

It’s a long time before Francis comes back, and when he does, he brings Florence and Dr. Cummins with him. Noemí... (full context)

...tell anyone, so Noemí bites her tongue. She feels like crying, and she might, but Francis moves behind her and places his hand over hers. Florence tells Noemí that she deserves... (full context)

...ashamed, and her book is hardly able to distract her. She puts on the sweater Francis gave her and steps outside for a cigarette. She wants to get some distance from... (full context)

...sits down and absently tugs at the blades of grass. The silence is broken by Francis, who walks up to her. She thinks he looks fragile, as he often does. Only... (full context)

...off the table. And she wouldn’t dare leave Catalina in her current state. Noemí tells Francis she can’t leave, and he responds by saying that this house is no place for... (full context)

Again Noemí feels selfish. She sees that Francis is unwell; he seems more hollowed out and has dark, purplish circles under his eyes.... (full context)

They walk back towards the house. Noemí asks Francis why Catalina is so miserable. She was so happy at her wedding. Is Virgil cruel... (full context)

Noemí knocks repeatedly at Marta’s door, but the woman never answers. She rejoins Francis and the two walk back toward the town square. They meet Dr. Camarillo at the... (full context)

Noemí sees Francis avoid her and wonders if Florence scolded him for driving her to town. She seeks... (full context)

...She wants to talk to someone about all this, so she goes in search of Francis. (full context)

Noemí knocks on Francis’s bedroom door, and he lets her in. The walls in his room are covered in... (full context)

Noemí feels a desire to lean forward and kiss Francis, but she hesitates. It’s easy to kiss someone when it doesn’t matter, but a kiss... (full context)

Francis stands up suddenly and grips Noemí’s hands. In Spanish he tells her not to say... (full context)

A moan interrupts their conversation. Francis grimaces, as if in pain, and tells Noemí that Uncle Howard is having another rough... (full context)

...with a beach. She’d invite Hugo Duarte. No, who was she kidding? She yearned for Francis now, not Hugo. Though a young woman her age was not supposed to know anything... (full context)

...ground, piercing an egg. She recognizes it as a specimen that she saw depicted in Francis’s room: universal veil. (full context)

...on conversation has been lifted, but Noemí finds it difficult to talk with anyone besides Francis. Virgil is a bully, and Florence is not much better. After the meal, Virgil announces... (full context)

...to her lips, and suddenly it all comes back—the horror she has been subjected to. Francis stands before her. How could Noemí ever have liked this man? He tells her that... (full context)

Noemí asks Francis what Howard did to her. He tells her that most people who come into contact... (full context)

...their relationship with the fungus. In this way, Howard has survived for three hundred years. Francis says that Howard is their God, and he wants Noemí to become part of the... (full context)

Noemí asks about Francis’s father, Richard. Francis responds that after Howard was shot, he slowly began to heal himself.... (full context)

...affected him. He wanted to leave but couldn’t. So he threw himself down a ravine. Francis looks at Noemí. Fighting it will only make the pain worse, he tells her. But... (full context)

Francis lays Noemí on the bed, and she begins to have another dream. She’s in a... (full context)

...that wasn’t the case. Just as Virgil grabs her head and moves to kiss her, Francis enters the room. Dr. Cummins is here, he says, and he’s waiting to see Noemí.... (full context)

The doctor stands up and tells Francis that he must talk some sense into Noemí. Howard will not tolerate this sort of... (full context)

Francis continues to explain his plan. Uncle Howard is going to die soon, there’s no stopping... (full context)

Francis tells Noemí that she needs to go along with what the family says until it’s... (full context)

Noemí takes a sip of Marta’s tincture. She asks Francis why she should trust him. He responds that he once read a journal about a... (full context)

Francis leaves and Noemí falls asleep. She dreams that Ruth stands at the foot of her... (full context)

Francis visits Noemí again in the morning, giving her another bit of tincture and telling her... (full context)

Once Noemí has finished, Francis asks Virgil if he’s satisfied. Virgil tells him that there’s still much for Noemí to... (full context)

Noemí jumps up, and Francis hurries to her side, telling Virgil to show some respect to his new bride. Virgil... (full context)

Noemí tells Francis that she doesn’t feel like herself when she’s around Virgil. She doesn’t understand how the... (full context)

Noemí insists on getting a weapon, and Francis reluctantly gives her his razor. He tries to make a joke, saying that he hopes... (full context)

Noemí asks Francis who taught him Spanish. He tells her that it was his father. When he was... (full context)

Noemí then asks Francis if they will have a wedding ceremony. He says yes, it’s tradition. In the old... (full context)

Francis takes Noemí to try on her wedding dress. Though the dress is clearly old and... (full context)

Florence leaves and Noemí changes back into her clothes. Francis comes by a while later with her dinner and a razor wrapped in a handkerchief.... (full context)

Noemí is angry with Francis—he’s not an orchid. He can choose to leave. He doesn’t belong here. But Francis chuckles,... (full context)

...but the compulsion to stay is in the blood. Noemí assures herself that she’ll carry Francis out if she needs to, and her resolve grows firmer. (full context)

Noemí and Francis’s wedding occurs in reverse: first comes the banquet, then comes the ceremony. All but Howard... (full context)

...for the ceremony. The old man is covered in pustules, and the room smells rotten. Francis and Noemí stand before Howard’s bed. Howard begins the ceremony, but he speaks in Latin... (full context)

...a mushroom and tells them to eat. They do, and then they sip some wine. Francis asks Noemí if he can kiss her, and she nods. After a quick kiss, the... (full context)

Noemí feels a little lightheaded, so she lies down to wait for Francis. After a few minutes, she turns her head and sees Virgil standing next to her... (full context)

...crashing down against the floor. He hits his head and lies there unconscious. Noemí grabs Francis’s razor and runs to fetch Catalina. (full context)

Suddenly, Mary is yanked away by Francis. But she shoves him to the floor too, and grasps at his throat. Noemí picks... (full context)

...that there isn’t much time—they need to begin the transmigration. Virgil may be missing, but Francis is here, and that’s what matters. Noemí objects, but Florence coolly assures her that Francis... (full context)

Francis walks meekly towards the doctor. Noemí tries to grab him, but Florence points the rifle... (full context)

Howard begins reciting a series of words in Latin. Francis is whimpering, his lips moving softly in prayer. Howard raises his hands, as if to... (full context)

...She stabs Howard in the eye, then again and again in the face. Howard yells. Francis, Florence, and Dr. Cummins all fall to the floor. Noemí jumps to her feet and... (full context)

Francis tackles his mother off of Noemí, and the two go tumbling. The gun discharges, and... (full context)

Howard slides an amber ring off of his finger and holds it up for Francis. Noemí calls his name, but so does Howard, and Francis ignores her. “It’s in the... (full context)

Francis leads the two women down the back stairs, then inside a walk-in pantry with a... (full context)

Francis can hardly walk, so Noemí tells him to lean on her as they walk deeper... (full context)

Francis winces suddenly and doubles over in pain. “She’s speaking,” he cries. Then Noemí becomes aware... (full context)

...gloom. So he offered up his wife. What had once been Agnes became the gloom. Francis grabs Noemí and spins her around. He tells her not to look at Agnes, saying... (full context)

Francis interjects and tells Virgil to let the women go. Everything they do here is wrong.... (full context)

Virgil screams and collapses on the floor, as does Francis. Noemí goes over to Francis. Virgil reaches for her, and she kicks him in the... (full context)

Noemí, Catalina, and Francis escape from the chamber and exit the mausoleum back into the open air. Francis guides... (full context)

Noemí sits in a small room in Dr. Camarillo’s clinic, watching over Francis as he sleeps. When they reached El Triunfo they called for Marta to prepare enough... (full context)

...believed them, even if he pretended to. Catalina leaves the room. Noemí looks down at Francis, leans in close, and whispers, “Open your eyes.” (full context)

Francis’s eyes flutter open. They smile at each other, and then Francis asks what happened to... (full context)

Francis asks Noemí how she’s feeling, and if she’s having any nightmares, but it’s clear that... (full context)

Francis asks Noemí what they’ll do if the fungus isn’t gone. What if it’s inside him?... (full context)

Mexican Gothic

Francis Character Analysis

Francis Quotes in Mexican Gothic

Chapter 2 Quotes

Chapter 10 Quotes

Chapter 14 Quotes

Chapter 21 Quotes

Chapter 26 Quotes

Chapter 27 Quotes

Francis Character Timeline in Mexican Gothic