The Sunbearer Trials

Teo is the dynamic, round protagonist of the novel, an unwilling hero whose journey is defined by his struggle to embrace The Power of Self-Acceptance in a World of Prescribed Norms and Expectations. As a transgender boy and a Jade semidios, Teo exists at an intersection of marginalized identities, which fuels his deep-seated insecurity and rebellious spirit. He initially copes with the systemic prejudice of his world through minor acts of defiance, such as defacing posters of the celebrated Gold demigods. He resents the rigid social structure that tells him, “You are not a Hero, Teo” (26), a judgment that reinforces his feeling of inadequacy. This constant struggle against an unfair system positions him as a direct challenge to the criteria by which heroes are defined in Reino del Sol. His rebellion, however, is a shield for a compassionate nature, which emerges as his defining heroic quality.

Teo’s actions are consistently driven by a selfless instinct to protect others. He runs into a burning building to save Veronica, not for glory, but because someone needs help. He goes out of his way to retrieve a lost doll for a crying child, an act of kindness that the strategically minded Aurelio cannot initially comprehend.