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Isabel: Havana, Cuba – 1994
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
After school, Mahmoud, Waleed, and their mother, Fatima, do their usual afternoon prayer. They wash their hands and pray facing Mecca, praising God and reciting from the Qur’an. When they are finished, they roll up their mats and return to their afternoon activities: Mahmoud does math homework, and Waleed watches Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on TV.
Similar to Isabel’s affinity for Cuban music, Gratz also illustrates Mahmoud’s connection to his own culture, particularly through his daily prayers. This will not only serve as a way for him to remain connected to his culture, but will also become a point of contention along his journey when he realizes the prejudice of tourists and others who do not like seeing Muslims pray.
Themes
Suddenly, the wall of Mahmoud’s apartment explodes, blasting concrete and glass throughout the room. He claws his way out of the debris, his ears ringing and his lungs gasping for breath. His head is streaked with blood, and as he looks back he sees that the entire outside wall of his apartment is gone. But the only thing that matters to him in this moment is finding Fatima, Waleed, and his infant sister, Hana.
Like Josef and Isabel, Mahmoud experiences a very startling trauma early on in the book, and he quickly learns to adapt and take on the gravity that this situation requires. Like Isabel, he also worries for his parents’ and siblings’ safety, a trait that will only grow stronger through his family’s journey.
Themes
