The Living

Shy is the protagonist of The Living. He is a 17-year-old Mexican American high school student who takes a summer job working on a Paradise Line luxury cruise ship to help his family financially. His grandmother, who was one of the main sources of income for his family, recently died of Romero Disease, and Shy feels obligated to help out in her absence. Although he is still juvenile in some regards, such as his obsession with girls of all kinds, Shy is clearly mature for his age; he is hardworking and genuinely compassionate, he cares deeply for his friends and family, and he goes out of his way to help others, even when they have hurt him in the past.

As a person of color from a poor family, Shy endures regular disrespect from the wealthy and privileged premier class passengers on the cruise. Although he resents the passengers for their higher social status and for the way they treat him, Shy also struggles with internalized issues of classism, not fully believing in his own self-worth. It isn’t until he, Addison, and William are stranded together and the “costumes” of class are stripped away that he comes to the understanding that they are all of equal value.