Genre
It is a Short Story Collection
Setting and Context
The stories are set in different parts of the world such as Cuba, America, Africa and Puerto Rico.
Narrator and Point of View
The stories are told in multiple points of views and also there are many narrators involved in the narratives. In 'Now We Will Be Happy', the narrator is Rosa, an unhappy married woman. In 'Aguanile', the narrator is a 12-year-old girl.
Tone and Mood
Almost all the stories involve pain, loss, suffering and lamenting.
Protagonist and Antagonist
In Now We Will Be Happy, the Protagonist is Rosa and Antagonist in Pedro, her husband.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in the stories is between losing identity in a bi-cultural environment and trying to find the roots.
Climax
In Agualine, the girl grows up and understands how the classic salsa music is important for her to go back and find her roots. In another story, the married woman leaves with her lover.
Foreshadowing
The grandfather's leaving for Puerto Rico and settling down there foreshadows his intense love for his own culture and identity.
Understatement
The character of the grandmother has been understated.
Allusions
There are several allusions in the book, from famous salsa legends to classical ethnic Spanish foods.
Imagery
Salsa music and Spanish food imageries are used to focus on the lost and forgotten cultural ethnicity.
Paradox
A proprietress holds the whole community together but she can not control her own son.
Parallelism
Rosa's marital situation is paralleled with a lot of modern household situations in present time.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Puerto Rico has been personified many times in the book.
