90 Miles to Havana

“I want to pull this fish in. I want to be the hero for once! Why should I give it up?” 

As we meet Julian, we learn that he looks up to his father and brothers, who have been the “heroes” before and pulled in a big fish. He wants to be taken seriously, not treated like a child. This is the moment for him to prove that he can protect his family and be the hero by bringing them good luck. He is persistent and does not like to give up easily.

“Real gunshots are like the roar of a lion compared to the meow of a cat.” 

This quote exemplifies Julian’s random switches in narrative tone from deep and thoughtful, to simple and childlike. Sometimes, he thinks in colorful and metaphorical language, as he does here, to show that children can be insightful. They can make meaningful connections, especially when they are afraid, to fictional things they have read or seen on television.

“I’m starting to get this scary feeling that anything could happen anytime, anywhere. It’s like the glue that kept everything and everyone together started to dissolve right after I lost the big fish.” 

This moment is important because it is one of the first times where we see Julian’s innocence crumbling. Children often think they are invincible, that their parents are perfect heroes who will always keep them safe. When he sees the chaos of revolution, he starts to understand that the world is a scary place and not even his parents can protect him from everything.