The House of the Scorpion

Matt, the novel’s protagonist, is the clone of the powerful El Patrón. While Matt was created for the purpose of providing organs to extend El Patrón’s life, his intelligence has been left intact, unlike all other clones as required under international law. The truth is hidden from Matt throughout his childhood, and he doesn’t see any logic in the fact that he is given the best education and luxuries just to be used for transplants in the end. Matt struggles to come to terms with his identity as a clone and society’s cruel treatment and negative perception of him.

Over time and through experiences, Matt learns to value moral choices and relationships over his more selfish impulses, which can be attributed to El Patrón. Matt is highly influenced by the love of Celia, Tam Lin, and María to be a moral person and be kind. Contrary to the popular belief that clones are like animals, Matt proves himself to be highly intelligent, skilled, and caring. Even after he learns of El Patrón’s true intentions to use him for his organs, he cannot help but care for and love the old man. Matt’s experiences, internal conflicts, and highly developed emotions and intelligence give rise to the core ethical arguments the novel posits regarding the existence of clones.