What about Simonopio? Was he real, or symbolic? Or both?

[Genie, AUTHOR]

I thought Simonopio was flesh and blood, but the author also used him as a symbol of the bees.
I wondered about his human parents, they must have been fairly local.
The Murmur of Bees

[Colleen]

I kept trying to figure out if any of the characters in the book were Simonopio's birth parents, but none of them fit. I think he was flesh and blood. It was really sad to me how he and the son fell out and that they were no longer friends and thus the son was so regretful about it in his later years, but at least he realized what an amazing person Simonopio was.

[CW]

Simonopio was real to me, probably the child of a peasant family or unwed girl, superstitious because of his defect. The author added the bees for more magic. Without the bees, there would have been no story.

[Genie, AUTHOR]

Colleen wrote: "I kept trying to figure out if any of the characters in the book were Simonopio's birth parents, but none of them fit. I think he was flesh and blood. It was really sad to me how he and the son fel..."
A gut instinct whispers to me that Espiricueta is the father and believed the child a curse, and abandoned him to die at birth. He was the only person who had negative reaction to the Simonopio, and that to the extent of trying to kill him!
I agree. Sad to see Francisco Jr wait until his deathbed to return.

[Genie, AUTHOR]

CW wrote: "Simonopio was real to me, probably the child of a peasant family or unwed girl, superstitious because of his defect. The author added the bees for more magic. Without the bees, there would have bee..."

Agreed, the bees were integral to the plot.

[Cinda]

CW wrote: "Simonopio was real to me, probably the child of a peasant family or unwed girl, superstitious because of his defect. The author added the bees for more magic. Without the bees, there would have bee..."

Genie wrote: "Colleen wrote: "I kept trying to figure out if any of the characters in the book were Simonopio's birth parents, but none of them fit. I think he was flesh and blood. It was really sad to me how he..."

CW wrote: "Simonopio was real to me, probably the child of a peasant family or unwed girl, superstitious because of his defect. The author added the bees for more magic. Without the bees, there would have bee..."

[Cinda]

Espiricueta as the Father of Simonopio is a provocative plot concept. He would fit the profile of a person that would abandon a child at birth, his hatred of the Morales Family despite their progressive attitude towards poverty and giving a lift up through the gains of working towards property ownership and education of the agrarian skills needed to succeed. Through their kindness Simonopio survived, providing a model of casting off superstitions and acceptance of the "other." Brilliant sleuthing into plot Genie!

[Genie, AUTHOR]

If our premise is the case, Segovia did a masterful job of subduing the trope—father turned evil vs. ignorant/good son, (Star Wars for example)—while allowing both characters to play principal roles.