Hannah's English Blog

When Celia's letters are shown in the novel, they made me very upset at Celia. Her husband Jorge has given everything to her and shows his true love for her, but she writes to her ex lover Gustavo who has probably forgotten about her and lives far away. Almost all of the letters are of her complaining about her life, and how it would be so much better if she was with Gustavo. Rather than focusing on the present and supporting her kids, Celia dreams of a better life where she could be free to do whatever she wants. Looking deeper into her letters and life, it is seen that she writes to him to feel more at ease about the separation they faced and is a way to obtain closure. The more the author explains Celia's past life with her husband and his family, the harsh treatment she faced from them causes her to write to Gustavo in an attempt to get her feelings off her chest. By feeling hopeful and dreaming of a better life, Celia feels more calm and can stop herself from lashing out o...

Felicia is one of the most prominent characters that shows mental illness in Dreaming in Cuban.   Celia named Felicia after one of the women that she was in the mental hospital with (who burned her husband to death) once her daughter was finally born. After the author describes how Felicia tries to kill her husband with a burning rag, it made me wonder if Felicia actually is cursed because of the meaning behind her name. The novel has many instances of magic happening, such as Jorge meeting Celia and Lourdes as a ghost and Pilar hearing her grandma at night, even though they are thousands of miles apart. This makes me think that she actually is cursed, as it would not be that hard to believe considering the novel is classified as magical realism. Other actions of her's also show how she may be cursed are when she pushes her husband out of a rollercoaster and the summer where she abandons her children as she slowly loses her mind. On the other hand, it could be argued that it ...