A Comparative Study of The Characters of Antonio and Felix in The Amigo Brothers by Piri Thomas

Comparison/Contrast Essay

In the short story “Amigo Brothers” by Piri Thomas two boys, Antonio and Felix, are forced to fight for the golden gloves that they both want. Both boys are best friends and train together almost every day. Only one can win the golden gloves and advance to become a bigger boxer. The fight might harm their friendship but in the end they both are still friends despite the fight. Both Antonia and Felix have many interesting differences and similarities.

Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas have several differences. First of all, “Antonio was fair, lean, and lanky, while Felix was dark, short, and husky (310).” This shows that Antonio is tall, and skinny in contrast to Felix who is shorter and bulkier. Secondly, Antonia and Felix have very different fighting styles. For example, “Antonio’s lean form and long reach made him the better boxer, while Felix’s short and muscular frame made him the better slugger (310).” From this we can see that Antonio is a better boxer and is better on the offensive side, while Felix is much better and being defensive and being a slugger. Lastly, Antonio is more willing to continue a run in an awkward situation than Felix. For instance when Antonio asks Felix if he would like to continue jogging, Felix says, “Naw, bro. Let’s cut it here. You go on (312).” This shows that Antonia wants to go for a jog more than Felix and that Felix doesn’t want to continue jogging. Both boys, Antonio and Felix, have many great differences.

Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas share many similarities. To begin with, both Antonio and Felix collect things. For example, “… they had a collection of Fight magazines second to none, plus a scrapbook filled with torn tickets to every boxing math ever attended, and some clippings of their own (310.)” This shows that they both collect their tickets to boxing matches and boxing magazines. Next, both Antonio and Felix both want to end the fight quickly. For instance, Antonio, “Like his friend in the South Bronx, he prayed for a victory via a quick clean knockout in the first round (313).” This shows that both Antonio and Felix want to end the fight quickly without much hassle. Finally, Antonio and Felix have a passion for boxing. For example, they both, “… had a dream of becoming lightweight champion of the world (310).” From this it becomes obvious that both Antonio and Felix love boxing and both want to become boxers when they grow up. As you can see, there are many similarities between Antonio and Felix.

Both boys, Antonio and Felix, have many differences and similarities. Both Antonio and Felix look very different from each other and fight differently from each other. Despite their differences they both love boxing, both collect things, and both want to end the fight quickly. The similarities and differences between both boys are very important and brings the two boys closer together.