The Orphan of Ellis Island

Dominic Cantori is the central protagonist of The Orphan of Ellis Island. His character development informs the plot and themes of the novel.

Dominic has been orphaned since he was an infant. As a fifth grader who has never had a stable home or school life, Dominic lacks a secure sense of identity. He doesn’t know the background of his family history and has no story from which he can construct that identity. Dominic sees life as inherently lonely because he can’t control constant changes in his foster home situation. Dominic’s struggles with identity and loneliness are exacerbated by his inability to connect with others. Dominic “wished he could share his funny thoughts and laugh with someone. But he just didn’t know how” (6). Because he has regularly moved homes and schools, he hasn’t developed the skills to open up to his peers or connect with them meaningfully.

In addition to feeling lonely and isolated, Dominic is ashamed of being an orphan. Another reason Dominic has a difficult time connecting with other people is that he fears they will find out he is an orphan: “The idea of revealing the truth that he was alone in the world, abandoned and unwanted, filled him with such dread that he would do anything to keep it hidden” (10). His fear of revealing he’s an orphan reinforces the barriers to forming meaningful relationships with others and deepens his isolation and shame.

Dominic’s only remnant of his family’s past is a gold key that he wears on a chain around his neck. The key represents the mystery of Dominic’s heritage and is his only tangible connection to his family. He realizes he no longer has the key when he arrives in 1908 Italy, but his time travel becomes the key to unlocking the mystery of his family heritage. By the end of the novel, he understands both the origins of the key and of his family identity.

Dominic’s character development begins when he is transported through time. He immediately meets the Candiano brothers, who fundamentally change his life. Dominic has never had a friend, and the Candianos befriend him immediately. He develops an instant kinship with them because they are also orphans. Dominic finds he has much in common with the brothers and risks forging a connection with them.

As Dominic joins the Candianos, he experiences family bonds, sacrifice, and loyalty for the first time. Dominic also learns that being a part of a family involves unconditional, selfless love. By receiving Randizzi’s whipping in Antonio’s place, Dominic proves he can give and receive love. He realizes, “Somehow these boys had opened his heart, had made him care. But to care about someone else, someone he could lose, was as terrifying to Dominic as it was exciting” (67). His willingness to be vulnerable is an important step in Dominic’s growth. Even when he returns through time and space to his contemporary world, he holds on to the knowledge that he is capable of love and self-sacrifice.

Dominic also learns that love can be difficult. By caring for others, he risks experiencing pain because separation, through distance or death, is inevitable. Dominic and the surviving brothers mourn Salvatore’s death, and he must endure separation from Francesco and Antonio when he returns to his life. Even though he experiences the pain of separation from the brothers, he realizes that “now that he had opened his heart, he didn’t know how to close it” (123). This lesson implies that he will open himself to connections as he begins the next journey in his life with a new foster family.

When Dominic returns to his life in New York, he misses his ancestors but is wholly changed. His journey has taught him to release his shame and to allow himself to become vulnerable to connection with others. He’s discovered his family history and feels more rooted in his identity. Dominic believes he can love again and will one day find a new, wonderful family.