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Josef: Havana Harbor – 1939, 18 days (1)
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Refugee, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma and Coming of Age
Injustice and Cruelty vs. Empathy and Social Responsibility
Hope vs. Despair
Family, Displacement, and Culture
Invisibility and the Refugee Experience
Summary
Analysis
Isabel wakes to a very hot sun, and sees that Teresa has become sick with a fever. Lito and Señora Castillo try to help keep Teresa cool. Geraldo and Luis are able to get the engine restarted, while Amara continues to steer the boat north now that they have the sun to guide them.
In this brief episode, Isabel and the rest of the refugees on the boat have a spark of hope as they regain their ability to navigate and the use of their engine, which eases the problem of the water filling the boat. Yet, Gratz still foreshadows some of the problems to come with Teresa, which Isabel feels like she needs to take on.
Themes
Suddenly, Iván spots land at the side of the boat. Luis is confused, because it’s on the wrong side of the boat to be the U.S, unless the storm blew them into the Gulf of Mexico. They get close to the shore and see beach umbrellas and white people in swimsuits. They are overjoyed, thinking they have found Florida.
Despite the turmoil of the storm, Isabel and the others are able to keep their hope alive long enough to see land. This sight provides a rare glimmer of hope for Isabel and her companions, though it’s unclear whether or not they have really reached Florida.
Themes
Amara steers them to a dock, and a few tourists and a few black men in uniforms come over to them, one of whom speaks Spanish. Lito tells the man they are from Cuba, and the man says that they are in the Bahamas—a long way east of Miami. The man tells them that according to Bahamian law, if they set foot on the shore, they will be taken into custody and sent back to Cuba. Some of the tourists start to argue with the officers.
Gratz highlights how societies as a whole can fail refugees, just as Cuban law enforcement does with Josef and his family. Even the tourists start to argue with the officials, knowing that these countries have some social responsibility to help those in need and not return them to oppressive countries.
Themes
Lito protests, saying that they have a sick pregnant woman on board. The officer says that Teresa can come ashore for medical attention, but then she will be deported to Cuba. Lito says that he will go with Teresa, but Geraldo refuses to be sent back to Cuba. Isabel grows upset—all she wants is for her family to be together. But Teresa refuses, saying that she wants to stay with her family and continue on.
Again, the officer’s response shows a troubling lack of empathy—if not in the officer himself (since he is presumably just following protocol), then in Bahamian law more broadly. The officer is willing to help Teresa, but not in a way that allows her to stay with her family and ultimately avoid being deported back to Cuba. For Teresa, it is more important to remain with her family and keep the possibility of a new life, even if it means putting her and her unborn baby’s health in jeopardy.
Themes
Get the entire Refugee LitChart as a printable PDF.
Before they leave, one of the tourists gives the refugees a bottle of water. Soon the rest of the tourists are bringing bottles of water and chips from the café, giving whatever they can. Isabel asks for aspirin, and one woman pulls out a bottle of pills and gives them to Isabel. Isabel is overcome with gratitude: this moment of kindness might mean “the difference between death and survival” for Teresa. They restart the engine and turn back into the sea.
These small acts of kindness serve as Gratz’s way of reminding readers that anyone can help refugees and that no amount of aid is too small. For Isabel, a small bottle of aspirin could be the thing that saves her mother’s life. Thus, Gratz calls on readers to embody that same empathy and give even a small amount if they can.
Themes
