Mr. P. Character Analysis in The Refugees

Thomas’s father in “Someone Else Besides You.” Mr. P. had served in the army in Vietnam before fleeing to the United States and had subsequently treated his children like his own personal army. He had not loved Thomas’s mother, his wife, saying instead that he respected her. Yet he had also cheated on her with many women, and after she died he began dating another woman named Mimi. He has a complicated relationship with Thomas, but he ultimately wants what is best for his son and tries to help him win his ex-wife Sam back.

Mr. P. Quotes in The Refugees

The The Refugees quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. P. or refer to Mr. P.. 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:

War and the Refugee Experience Theme Icon

“Who says I want her back?”

“Don’t be an idiot. You were only half a man before you met her, and you’re back to being half a man now.”

Related Characters: Mr. P. (speaker), Thomas (speaker), Sam, Mimi

Page Number and Citation: 161

Explanation and Analysis:

After Thomas picks Mr. P. up from his girlfriend Mimi’s house, his father asks when he plans on getting his ex-wife Sam back. Although Thomas implies here that he may not want Sam back, both Mr. P. and the reader by this point know this isn’t true. Thomas calls Sam when he knows she is at work just to hear her answering machine, and then he calls her in the evening but doesn’t say anything so that he can simply hear her say “Hello?” He even asks his father to move in with him so that he will feel less Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti solu

When I spoke, it was so softly that only the stranger curled up behind the belly ring could hear. Then I said it once more, louder: “I can be the father.” Feeling Sam’s hand grip my shoulder, I said it a third time, just to make sure they both heard me right.

Related Characters: Thomas (speaker), Mr. P., Sam

Page Number and Citation: 179

Explanation and Analysis:

At the end of the story, Sam shows up at Thomas’s doorstep because his father had slashed her tires. She is furious, but it also shows her that he cares about winning her back in an odd way. Thomas takes her stomach in his hands and confesses that he wants to be the father of her child. This is a surprising reversal for both Sam and Thomas: they had gotten a divorce because Thomas was unsure of his ability to be a good father. Unable to commit to this kind of intimacy, he and Sam had both ended up isolated Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostru

Mr. P. Character Timeline in The Refugees

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. P. appears in The Refugees. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Thomas and his father ( Mr. P. ) drop by his father’s girlfriend Mimi’s condo. Thomas has never met Mimi before; when... (full context)

...father’s car had been stolen the previous night. Mimi tries to make more conversation, but Mr. P. says Thomas has to go. (full context)

Thomas explains that he is 33, but that Mr. P. didn’t think anyone was a man until he became a father. His father had had... (full context)

Mr. P. walks Thomas to the door and says he’ll need a ride home the next morning,... (full context)

...morning, while Thomas processes refunds and listens to his service representatives, Thomas pictures Mimi and Mr. P. lounging on the couch together. She is the first of his father’s mistresses and girlfriends... (full context)

...a father. This was not the first time they’d had this conversation. He thought about Mr. P. , who had treated his sons like his own personal army and cheated many times.... (full context)

...By the time Thomas’s mother passed away, he was very familiar with loneliness, and invited Mr. P. to live with him, suspecting he might also be lonely. His father, to his surprise,... (full context)

Thomas sleeps for two hours, and then drives back to Mimi’s apartment. Mr. P. is showering, so Mimi makes Thomas a cup of coffee and he tells her a... (full context)

Mr. P. appears and he and Thomas leave soon after. In the car, Thomas’s father asks when... (full context)

Thomas questions Mr. P. , asking if he’s going to marry Mimi and then find another woman to have... (full context)

Mr. P. says that Thomas should never have let Sam go. Thomas starts to cry. He remembers... (full context)

Thomas doesn’t know what “doing something” means; only that Mr. P. usually said it when he was going to punish his sons. It is also what... (full context)

Mr. P. had taken Thomas to the boy’s home and knocked on the door. He spoke with... (full context)

Thomas and Mr. P. go to pick up a rental car, then to a barbershop, where Thomas gets a... (full context)

...looking for another man. Sam and Thomas start to catch up, and Thomas explains that Mr. P. has moved in with him. Sam responds that that must be an interesting situation. (full context)

Mr. P. compliments Sam on the house, but she says that most of the decorations are her... (full context)

...with her and a man with sandy-blond hair, he asks if this is the father. Mr. P. excuses himself out the front door. Sam tells Thomas that a woman doesn’t need a... (full context)

Thomas leaves and gets in the car with Mr. P. As they pull out of the street, Thomas’s father sees Sam’s car and tells him... (full context)

As they argue and drive away, Mr. P. claims that Thomas wouldn’t know right from wrong because he never makes any choices. Thomas... (full context)

At home, Mr. P. takes a pill, thinking he might have pulled a muscle in his neck, and Thomas... (full context)

The next day, the police find Mr. P. ’s missing car. His father goes with Mimi to retrieve it from the impound lot... (full context)

...not been there when they’d divorced the year before. They hear a floorboard creak upstairs: Mr. P. , who has crept out of his bedroom and is wondering and waiting for what... (full context)

Mr. P. Character Analysis

Mr. P. Quotes in The Refugees

Someone Else Besides You Quotes

Mr. P. Character Timeline in The Refugees