Eddie is both the narrator and the subject of Buried Onions. At 19 he only recently became self-supporting, and he barely makes ends meet. His father, two of his uncles, his cousin, and his closest friend are deceased. His mother left town six months ago, to move to Merced, and Eddie’s full-time job prospects look slim. Painting house numbers on curbs to afford food and rent, Eddie’s work is sporadic. Recently he dropped out of air conditioning classes at the local community college

Eddie is, however, of sound character, given the difficult environment in which he has been raised. He tries to do the right thing, on most occasions, and be responsible. He is caught up in the dangerous aftermath of the death of Jesus, whom Jesus’s friend, Angel, wants him to avenge. Even Eddie’s aunt tries to give him a gun to do the deed. He handles these pressures fairly well while oscillating between occasional hope and clear despair. Confusion and pressure are constants in his life. His doubts at the end of the book, however, may represent a new, more mature awareness of how the world works.

Throughout the novel, Eddie’s abilities go mostly unrecognized. Eddie had liked art in high school, and his artistic sensibility shows through in some of his perceptions and enjoyments, such as fishing at the river and his care in his landscape and lettering work.