Genre
Fiction Novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set in Cuba and the United States of America.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person point of view
Tone and Mood
Depressing, disheartening, hopeless
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Celia
Major Conflict
The main conflict is that Celia loses the love of her life early, and she remains struggling with accepting reality. She remarries and gives birth to her daughters whom she develops a bad relationship.
Climax
The climax comes when Celia is left all alone in Cuba after her children decide to relocate and settle in the USA.
Foreshadowing
Celia unhappy future was foreshadowed by the loss of her first love when the man abandoned her. After getting remarried by Jorge, he mistreated her, and she ended up miserable for the rest of her life.
Understatement
Celia's misery in life is understated. The reality is that Celia lived regretting her life instead of embracing the present and future to have a meaningful life.
Allusions
The story is an allusion to relationship obstacles people go through in life.
Imagery
The imagery of the Cuban revolution is prevalent in the text. Through the revolution, the reader can see the reasons why Lourdes relocates to settle in America.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Celia lives in the past, and she ends up being miserable and lonely for the rest of her life.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The mental breakdown is a metonymy for torture and loss of hope in life.
Personification
N/A
