Daddy Character Analysis

Daddy is Claudia’s father and Ma’s husband. He’s a big, strong, former football player who adores Claudia and Ma. He also plays in a go-go band with his brother, Claudia’s Uncle Robby. In his job as a truck driver who delivers cars to dealerships around the U.S., Daddy has earned enough money to buy his family’s home. Though Daddy is supportive of Claudia when it comes to school and dance, he’s annoyed when Claudia refuses to talk about anything else but Monday’s disappearance. He believes that whatever’s going on with Monday is “private family business,” and so they shouldn’t intervene. But when even Ma begins to express concern for Monday’s wellbeing, Daddy makes small attempts to check on Monday, as when he tracks down the phone number for Monday’s estranged father, Tip, and calls him to find out if he knows what happened to Monday. Daddy is incensed when he and Ma learn that Claudia managed to make it to the eighth grade before the school caught her dyslexia, but he sees her diagnosis as a good thing and something that will help her succeed. Though Claudia often sees Daddy as an antagonist and as standing in the way of her attempts to find Monday, Daddy is nevertheless there to support Claudia as she grows and heals. He encourages her to focus on herself and is always there to rescue her when she gets in trouble. He ultimately recognizes that his attempts to shelter Claudia from the truth of Monday’s death were misguided and gives her an iPhone, hoping she’ll be able to use the phone to consistently remember what happened.