Character Sketches585

 
Ramon
 Physical Description Ramon is very small for his age. His body is skinny and he is short.
Attitude Ramon is not a loud person, but he sure does think that he can be and do more than his father thinks he can. He wants to show the men of the pearling fleet that he can do just as well diving for pearls as any of the other divers. Ramon does not give up. He is determined to do something great that no other diver has done so that his father will be proud of him. Ramon is very brave
General
Information
Ramon is 15 when the story starts, but he quickly turns 16.
Ramon is the son of Blais Salazar.
Important Actions
in the Story
Ramon does what he says that he will do. He learns how to dive, goes on a trip away from home without his parents permission and brings back a giant black pearl. When he does this all sorts of things begin to go wrong in the town of La Paz
Blais Salazar
 Physical Description Blais Salazar is a very big man. He is strong and muscular.
Attitude Blais Salazar sets his mind to do something, and he does it. He can organize all of the men that work for him and make them do what he wants even if they are hard to deal with.
General
Information
Blais Salazar is Ramon's father. He wants his son to be big and strong like he is and sometimes acts like he is ashamed of Ramon.
Important Actions
in the Story
Blais Salazar makes Ramon a business partner in his pearling business when he is turns 16 years old. He makes Ramon work in the office weighing and measuring pearls and does not let him go diving with the fleet. When Ramon complains enough he lets him come with him on a diving trip. On the night when Ramon brought the black pearl to him he used a sharp knife to trip off flaws on the pearl. He finally gives the pearl to the church because he believes that is is cursed. On the last sailing trip all of the men on the 5 pearling ships is killed including Blais Salazar.
Gaspar Ruiz
 Physical Description Gaspar Ruiz is a large muscular man. He has a lot of tatoos on his body that show adventures that he has been on.
Attitude He has a really rotten attitude. He thinks that he is better than any other diver and likes to tell them so. Sometimes he threatens other divers and insults them.
General
Information
Gaspar Ruiz goes by another name, The Sevillano. That is because he is supposed to be from Seville, Spain. He is a thief and bully.
Important Actions
in the Story
Gaspar Ruiz teases Ramon about his small size. He gathers more pearls than any other diver in the Salazar fleet. He is the only survivor from the hurricane that sank the entire Salazar pearling fleet. At the end of the story he stabs the Manta Diablo with a harpoon and jumps on his back.
Father Gallardo
 Physical Description No description was told in the novel, but I think he would have been a small man.
Attitude Father Gallardo was a kind man who only did good things for people.
General
Information
He was the priest in Ramon's church.
Important Actions
in the Story
Father Gallardo placed the Black Pearl in the hands of the Madonna. He also blessed the pearling fleet before it set sail and was sunk.
Soto Luzon
 Physical Description Soto Luzon was a very small but strong man.
Attitude He was a nice man who was kind to others.
General
Information
Soto Luzon was a native Indian man who brought pearls to sell to the Salazars. He was a superstitous man and kept a pact with the Manta Diablo like his ancestors did.
Important Actions
in the Story
Soto Luzon brought Ramon to his lagoon and taught him how to dive for pearls. He brought Ramon home after he found the Black Pearl. When the Manta Diablo destroyed their canoe he would not go back to La Paz with Ramon.
He warned Ramon that tragedy would happen if he kept the pearl.
Manta Diablo
 Physical Description He was a huge strong manta ray. His wings were more than 20 feet across.
Attitude The Manta Diablo would only get mad if you took something from him. He did not bother you otherwise.
General
Information
The Manta Diablo was a legendary creature that swam in the waters of the Pacific. When he was in the lagoon a red mist hung over the water.
Important Actions
in the Story

The Manta Diablo followed Soto Luzon and Ramon back to La Paz after Ramon found the pearl. He crashed on top of their canoe and crushed it. The Manta Diablo had a fight with The Sevillano and killed him. He left Ramon alone after he tossed the pearl back into the sea.

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