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Chapter Seven
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Before We Were Free, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age and Political Consciousness
Adulthood, Childhood, and Fear
Family and Politics
Storytelling and Trauma
Summary
Analysis
Oscar yells that El Jefe is coming. Every day, El Jefe walks from his mother’s house to the ocean. The route passes in front of Oscar’s house, so Anita joins Oscar and Oscar’s three little sisters at the window. The first time Anita saw the parade she was shocked to see men she recognized from Papi’s evening meetings, but she keeps quiet about this. Oscar’s sisters comment that El Jefe isn’t wearing his “jewelry” (medals). Oscar observes that El Jefe is wearing his khaki uniform on a Tuesday. He usually only wears khaki on Wednesdays when he visits his country house and his girlfriends. Anita shivers as she remembers how El Jefe courted Lucinda.
El Jefe’s predictable schedule gives the sense that even in such a dangerous time, some things are dependable—such as El Jefe’s evening walk to the ocean. However, the fact that El Jefe is sometimes surrounded by people from Papi’s meetings shows that things are more precarious than they seem—El Jefe is quite vulnerable, since those close to him aren’t all loyal. Oscar’s sisters’ observations show that even very young children can pick up on more than adults give them credit for. While it’s unclear if there’s any significance to El Jefe not wearing medals, the fact remains that the girls are learning to pay attention.
Themes
Once El Jefe passes, Anita stands at the window and watches the daily flight leaving for the U.S. It’s the flight that Anita’s family members, Sam, and Mrs. Washburn took. Oscar joins Anita at the window and asks if she’s sad that Sam is gone. Anita thinks this is sweet, but she hasn’t spent much time with Sam in the last few weeks. He was so excited to go back to the U.S., but Anita could only wonder why Sam smiled when Charlie made fun of her. Oscar brings Anita back to the present by saying it’s scary being the last ones left. Anita is thankful; it makes her feel less crazy to know that Oscar is scared too. Oscar says that according to his father, a person can’t be brave if they’re not scared. Suddenly, Oscar seems old and wise. Anita smiles and Oscar kisses her cheek.
Oscar is half-Dominican and he has stayed in the country while other Americans have fled. From the beginning of the novel, Oscar seemed to understand more about the world than Anita’s other peers, and this is suddenly attractive to her. While she lost interest in Sam because she couldn’t relate to his naivete, Oscar seems to know just what she’s going through, since he’s in a similar position. Oscar helps Anita with her fear by sharing it, and also by linking fear and courage—someone cannot show courage without also having fear, because courage is about defying one’s own fear. With this to think about, Anita may be able to appreciate how brave she’s already been over the last few months. She’s spent much of her time afraid, but she has also helped her family and shouldered the burdens of remaining in the Dominican Republic rather than fleeing. His kiss also helps Anita feel mature. It reminds her again that life goes on.
Themes
Papi arrives soon after to pick up Anita and Mundín. Normally, he visits with Mrs. Mancini’s mother while Mundín finishes a Parcheesi game with María de los Santos. María is Oscar’s older sister and Mundin is in love with her. But today, Papi says he can’t come in. Anita races down to the car, feeling like her emotions are everywhere. She’s certain Papi can tell Oscar kissed her, but Papi seems distracted. On the drive, Anita asks if Papi is going out tonight. It takes a moment for Papi to answer and he seems angry that Anita asked, but he says he is. Anita recalls that last week, Papi and his friends went out. They came back with the news that Mr. Smith didn’t show at the picnic site. Mundín notes that El Jefe is wearing khaki today and Papi nods.
Anita’s youthful self-centeredness comes to the forefront when she’s certain that Papi can tell Oscar kissed her. Since it’s so important to Anita that Oscar kissed her, she feels that everyone else must be able to tell, but it’s actually the furthest thing from Papi’s mind. Given what Anita now knows about what the “picnic ingredients” are (the guns in Mr. Washburn’s trunk), it seems that Papi has already tried once to assassinate Trujillo, but Trujillo didn’t show up. The implication is that tonight they’re going to try again.
Themes
Mr. Washburn had to leave the compound a few days ago, so Anita’s house is the only one occupied. But there are lots of cars in the driveway and the portrait of El Jefe has been turned to the wall. When Mami runs out, Papi gives her a nod like he gave Mundín. Mami asks Anita how school was and doesn’t seem to notice Anita’s blush. Instead, she snaps at a man carrying a sack to unload it in Papi’s study, away from Anita. Anita knows that Mami is trying to keep things from her, but she’s still aware that something big is happening. She often finds Mami at Papi’s typewriter. Once, Anita found one of the papers. It was like a Declaration of Independence.
Anita picks up on all the things that are different at home, including Trujillo’s portrait facing the wrong way. This clue in particular suggests that there has been a shift in power—the family is no longer living in fear of Trujillo, not because Trujillo is no longer in power, but perhaps because they’re more confident now that they can defeat him. Anita is also starting to understand Mami’s role in the resistance movement. While Mami is not involved in the assassination itself, it seems that she has been typing pamphlets or fliers, planning for the future when they are free and Trujillo is gone.
Themes
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Mami also worries about Mundín, as he’s now old enough to be treated like an adult if the SIM arrest him. Papi doesn’t think they can get Mundín to New York since Lucinda has already overstayed her visa. Mami announces that the children will have an early dinner and then go to bed. Mundín says he’s going with Papi, but Papi reminds Mundín that he needs to stay here in case something happens. After supper, Mami, Mundín, and Anita go into the bedroom to listen to the radio. The government station, Radio Caribe, is having a poetry contest. Mami turns it off since the poems are all about El Jefe. Anita remembers that Carla won her eraser in the shape of the Dominican Republic in a poetry contest. She wonders if Carla’s poem was about El Jefe.
Both Mami and Papi try to impress upon Mundín that it’s essential he look out for his family. While he may want to go out and help Papi kill El Jefe, it’s his responsibility to stay home and support the family in case, it’s implied, Papi dies. Staying out of the action to make sure Mundín can support the family is just as noble as whatever Papi and his friends are going out to do. As Anita thinks back to the poetry contest that Carla won, she has to confront how young and naïve she was at the time. At the time, she probably thought nothing of it if Carla recited a poem venerating El Jefe—that would’ve seemed normal, and the eraser seemed like a wonderful prize. Now, however, she understands that the contest and the prize were meant to indoctrinate the children into admiring their country and its leader without understanding the ugly truth of the regime.
Themes
Anita has lots of questions but stays silent. She flips through Life magazines until Chucha knocks. Anita offers to help Chucha turn down the beds. As they stand around Mundín’s bed, Chucha whispers for Anita to get ready to fly free. At that moment, they hear cars honking outside. The men rush in with guns and say “Long live the Butterflies!” Papi says they’re free, but Tío Toni says that no one can find Pupo. Anita doesn’t ask who that is. One man remarks that Pupo might have betrayed them, and then, after a phone call, Papi sends men on errands. They need to find Pupo to “view the evidence.”
While Anita used to always ask questions whose answers she wasn’t prepared to hear, now she stays silent, even though she knows that something enormous is happening. This is, in a way, a sign of maturity—she knows that it isn’t essential for her to know everything, and she gives everyone else the space to do whatever they need to do uninterrupted. When the men with guns rush in talking about the butterflies, it seems that their cause has been victorious, but the mysterious absence of Pupo points to a hiccup in their plan. The implication is that one of their co-conspirators may have been secretly loyal to the government, which would put everyone involved with the plot (and their families) in danger.
Themes
When Mami asks what happens if they can’t find Pupo, Papi looks to El Jefe’s portrait. In the commotion, it’s turned back around. Papi says that it’ll be every man for himself. He kisses Anita and Mami and leaves with the other men. Suddenly, Mami realizes that Mundín is gone. After a frantic phone call, she finds out where he is and grouses that she’s going to punish him. But Chucha says that Mundín is already a man. Anita feels like all that’s left of her family now are Mami and Chucha.
The realization that El Jefe’s portrait turned itself around is an ominous sign—when they turned it towards the wall, it indicated that they were no longer afraid of Trujillo, but now that it’s back, it seems that they must try to keep up appearances again. At the very least, Mundín is now in danger since he snuck out. When Chucha insists that Mundín has become a man already, it reminds Anita that she’s not the only one growing up in her household. Her siblings are going through much the same thing she is.
Themes
