Blog Post: DiC Felicia's Curse

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 is due to her being treated badly as a child, which causes her to become mentally ill. Though this may be the case, the supernatural motif may be shown through Felicia's tragic life.