“Decorate is actually my personal language, I wanted to inform your. Translations just confuse it, dilute it, eg terminology heading off Language in order to English. We envy my personal mom their unique Language curses often. They make my personal English failure inside the a heap.” (pg. 59)
Felicia provides a highly personal, and yet unhealthy reference to her children
Pilar and Lourdes was far from close. Pilar have a diary, and that she need hide within the lining regarding their unique winter coat. Pilar’s diary could well be considered to be an echo of your pseudo-diary one Celia have, written down characters to help you their former companion. Pilar and Celia are very equivalent, and their parallels arise more and more just like the book happens towards. This can be another reason as to the reasons Lourdes and you may Pilar are continuously butting thoughts. Lourdes’s relationship with Celia is challenging. When Celia gave delivery to help you Lourdes, she actually is quoted as the handing the baby so you’re able to Jorge and stating “I won’t consider their own name” (pg 43). Lourdes knows which story, as well as in an easy method teaches you the reasons why she clings so you can their own dad and you will denies her mommy.
One day Lourdes finds out Pilar’s record and you can learns one to their particular child has begun coming in contact with by herself regarding the bath, a consistent course of action during the puberty. Regardless of if Lourdes clearly possess a problem with sex one their own child understands, she berates their for it, striking their unique and you will calling their particular a whore. Here is apparently a steady competition ranging from Pilar and you can Lourdes; Lourdes aches to get rid of Cuba, if you are Pilar desires to go back that will be believing that she’s going to find herself if the she actually is reunited with her grandma here.
It passage just makes reference to Pilar’s relationship with their own artwork, but it addittionally refers to their particular tumultuous reference to her mom, Cuba, while the Spanish words
Pilar uses their own painting to speak with people, it is inside typical you to definitely she feels by far the most instance by herself, where she feels she can be the ideal know. Lourdes are bored with exactly what Pilar creates. She doesn’t see the abstract character out of her drawings. A vicious circle is made, since the Pilar doesn’t learn how to communicate with their unique mommy, and you can Lourdes doesn’t understand how to correspond with their own child. A love anywhere between a mother and child was typically know because are among information and mercy. It contains feeling secure, or a feeling of that belong. Surprisingly, Pilar cannot end up being this that have Lourdes, and you will Lourdes doesn’t become so it that have Celia. So it introduces a different sort of motif that’s omnipresent for the Thinking inside the Cuban, practical question off home and belonging.
In the long run, there is the character off Felicia, along with her three students: Ivantino, and her twins Luz and you may Milagro. She dotes to the Ivanito, that’s separated from the twins. Luz and you will Milagro has memory of their father you to definitely Ivanito do maybe not share. For Ivanito, his father abandoned your therefore the remaining loved ones, however the guy does not understand why otherwise how. Luz and you may Milagro remember the mommy setting your on fire that big date and you will exiling your from their house. Felicia is said to be the essential unstable of your del Pino family unit members, experiencing exactly what is apparently bipolar disorder. She’s got extreme good and the bad; this lady has moments since the a loving mother, handling their unique children. This is overshadowed of the their particular times of madness, and you can an occurrence where she tries to kill by herself and Ivanito.
Whenever Ivanito is sent to school, he expands a desire for reading brand new dialects, particularly Russian, and have a little bit of English. He grows a relationship along with his Russian teacher, hence much like the you to definitely together with mother, is seen as inappropriate throughout the vision off their classmates and you may their college voyages de mariage au Mexique or university. His professor is in the course of time sent aside, to possess reasons that are unsure, but it is recommended it comes from having bizarre relationships along with his pupils.