Isabel’s Trumpet Symbol Analysis

Isabel’s trumpet represents her connection to her Cuban heritage. At the beginning of the book, Isabel is described as being able to play anything, and loves to play salsa and other Cuban music on the streets of Havana. But when Isabel is forced to trade her trumpet for the gasoline that will allow them to travel to Cuba, this emphasizes that Isabel is prioritizing her family’s safety and potential for a better future in the U.S. over her connection to her Cuban roots. Still, on the boat to Miami, Isabel worries that she will lose that connection entirely, particularly because she had never been able to learn to count a Cuban rhythm pattern called clave and worries that she won’t be able to learn outside of Cuba. However, at the end of the book, a relative Isabel meets in Cuba named Guillermo gives her a new trumpet, and she is able to learn to count clave. Thus, the replacement of Isabel’s trumpet in the U.S. embodies her undying connection to her family and her roots—is not living in a country that allows for Isabel’s connection to her heritage; instead it is the presence of her family that enables Isabel to regain her trumpet and her culture.