I, Juan de Pareja is thematically complex and teems with characters, but its principal themes focus on Pareja. Trevino has said that the novel's theme is that "the difficulties of love across racial barriers can give rise to strong and loyal devotion." Throughout his life, Pareja searches for love, loyalty, and the feeling of belonging—of having a home. When small, he gives his affection to his first mistress, a woman who dresses him up like a doll and treats him like a beloved dog. Having known no better life, Pareja responds with devotion. As he matures, Pareja's emotional life becomes more sophisticated.

When Pareja journeys from Seville to Madrid, where he will live with his new master, Velaquez, he must earn his keep by working for a muleteer. At the hands of Carmelo the muleteer, he is horribly mistreated; he is starved, forced to...