Albert a.k.a. Carmen's Dad

Character Analysis

Since the divorce, Albert rarely sees his daughter, Carmen. And it seems he somehow forgot to mention a few things—like that he has a fiancé with two children and a beautiful Victorian home. Oops. Albert springs all of this on Carmen when she shows up for her summer visit, and expects her to understand, which given Carmen's temper (be sure to read her analysis elsewhere in this section), suggests he doesn't know his daughter too well. He's lucky two rocks thrown through the dining room window is the only pain Carmen inflicted. 

Dad does have few redeeming qualities, though. He tries to be patient with Carmen, who let's face it, gets pretty nasty—and when Carmen confronts him with her feelings, he apologizes and appears to have learned his lesson. Plus he is thrilled when Carmen surprises him at the wedding. He hugs her with his eyes filled with tears and tells her, "You belong with us" (23.5). And when he does, we see that just like Carmen, Albert isn't perfect, but he's also someone who learns from their mistakes.