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Boats
The ocean and the water symbolize the refugees’ despair. All three of the protagonists take journeys over the water, and for each of them the water represents a faltering in hope as they worry that they will not be able to survive. In Josef’s story, his father, Aaron, chooses to commit suicide by jumping overboard and drowning because he has lost all hope in life and believes that this is a better alternative than being sent back to Germany. Thus, water represents the futility of continuing on in the midst of hardship. For Isabel, a hole in her and her family’s boat leads to a leak and they are forced to constantly bail water out of it in order to literally stay afloat. As the water continues to fill the boat, they become more and more afraid that they will not be able to make it to Miami. Mahmoud is thrown from a dinghy on the way from Turkey to Greece, forcing him to tread water for hours, not knowing whether someone will be able to rescue him. Many times during this episode, he and his family consider giving up, demonstrating how the water both reflects their despair in being stranded and adds to it, in that they have trouble fighting against the current and deliberate letting themselves drown. This is in direct opposition to the boats in the story, which represent hope even in the midst of despair and the opportunity for a new life.
Water Quotes in Refugee
The Refugee quotes below all refer to the symbol of Water. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Isabel: Straits of Florida – 1994, 1 day (2)
Quotes
She had never been able to count clave, but she had always assumed it would come to her eventually. That the rhythm of her homeland would one day whisper its secrets to her soul. But would she ever hear it now? Like trading her trumpet, had she swapped the one thing that was really hers—her music—for the chance to keep her family together?
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Mahmoud: The Mediterranean – 2015, 11 days (1)
Quotes
“Please!” Mahmoud cried. He sobbed with the effort of fighting off the man’s fingers and hanging onto the dinghy. “Please, take us with you!”
“No! No room!”
“At least take my sister!” Mahmoud begged. “She’s a baby. She won’t take up any room!”
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Get the entire Refugee LitChart as a printable PDF.
Water Symbol Timeline in Refugee
The timeline below shows where the symbol Water appears in Refugee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Isabel: Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994 (3)
...come, saying that they’re putting everyone in danger. They begin to argue, until Isabel notices water pouring in from the gunshot hole in the side of the boat.
(full context)
Isabel: The Straits of Florida, Somewhere North of Cuba – 1994, 1 day from home (2)
...try to figure out why the boat’s motor won’t start, while Iván and Isabel scoop water out of the bottom of the boat because the sock with which they plugged the...
(full context)
Josef: Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean – 1939, 11 days from home
...funeral, Josef notices Aaron lingering at the rail of the ship and looking at the water, saying that at least the old man didn’t have to be buried in “the hell...
(full context)
Isabel: The Straits of Florida, Somewhere North of Cuba – 1994, 1 day from home (3)
...speed out of the way, but the wake of the tanker dumps a load of water on top of them and they all tumble across the boat.
(full context)
...look out into the darkness to try and find him. Isabel spots him in the water for a second. She remembers her grandmother, Lita, disappearing under the waves in the same...
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Isabel: The Straits of Florida, Somewhere North of Cuba – 1994, 1 day from home (4)
Isabel dives into the water and is slammed by waves as she tries to find Señor Castillo. She eventually finds...
(full context)
Geraldo and Lito continue to get the water out of the bottom of the boat. They quickly realize that their medicine, bandages, and...
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Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey – 2015, 11 days from home (2)
...rain hard. Mahmoud is soaked to the bone and the boat starts to fill with water. Someone suggests they go back, but Youssef and others insist they continue.
(full context)
Isabel: Somewhere on the Straits of Florida – 1994, 2 days from home
Isabel continues to bail water out of the boat, alongside Teresa, Geraldo, Lito, Luis, Iván, and Señora Castillo. They work...
(full context)
Mahmoud: Somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea – 2015, 11 days from home (1)
Mahmoud tumbles into the water, disappearing under the waves. He chokes and starts to drown, until his head is able...
(full context)
Josef: Just Outside Havana Harbor – 1939, 18 days from home (1)
...tied together and his head in a barrel. They would then fill the barrel with water slowly so they could watch the man panic and thrash around, until he was dead....
(full context)
Mahmoud: Somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea – 2015, 11 days from home (2)
...his mother is ready to give up. He works to keep her head above the water, telling her that he needs her. Mahmoud is also deeply upset with himself at giving...
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Mahmoud suddenly sees a man floating face down in the water with a life jacket on. Mahmoud swims over to him, and sees that he is...
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Josef: Just Outside Havana Harbor – 1939, 18 days from home (2)
...ships sirens start to blow. One of the Cuban policemen (Mariano Padron) dives into the water and swims out to Aaron. A woman screams as she notices two shark fins in...
(full context)
Isabel: Somewhere between the Bahamas and Florida – 1994, 4 days from home
...appear in the boat, and the bolts holding the pieces together are coming loose. The water in the boat is almost to Isabel’s knees. They continue to scoop as much water...
(full context)
...until Amara tells them that they’re acting like children. Amara suggests that they drink some water, and the adults quickly apologize to each other. Iván agrees that they’re taking on too...
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Isabel: Somewhere between the Bahamas and Florida – 1994, 5 days from home (1)
Isabel slips into the water for her turn to float alongside the boat. The sun sets to the west, and...
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Suddenly, Iván jumps while floating in the water, and Lito yells that there is a shark in the water. Isabel scrambles into the...
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Isabel: Off the Coast of Florida – 1994, 5 days from home (1)
...to making it to the U.S. Suddenly, however, the boat starts to break apart, and water streams in through the hull. They all move to the front of the boat, but...
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...her, and they are able to get it off of the boat and into the water, lessening some of the weight. Lito wonders whether they should row to shore or try...
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Isabel: Off the Coast of Florida – 1994, 5 days from home (4)
...Coast Guard gets closer and closer. Señor Castillo grabs Isabel and pulls her into the water. Together, they swim and pull the boat toward the shore. The water is now only...
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