Dominicana

At times, Ana and Juan’s apartment in Harlem acts as Ana’s prison. Juan doesn’t allow her to leave the apartment, and the only images she has of her new city is the view outside her window. The apartment acts as a prison because it is also where Juan abuses Ana and sequesters her into her domestic duties. On the other hand, the apartment is also a symbol of their American Dream. The apartment has utilities that are unimaginable in Santo Domingo, and Ana cares for the apartment with pride. Though she misses her Dominican neighbors, she discovers that the solitude of apartment life gives her the space to create her own home out of a new and strange place. The apartment is an environment of pain and love. It is where she and César have sex, and where Ana brings home her newborn baby. The apartment is therefore both a prison and a haven. 

Before Altagracia is born, she is a symbol for the American Dream and Ana’s freedom from self. Away from her family, with no friends to occupy her days, Ana has too much time to think about her loneliness. When she gets pregnant, she has the promise of a potential friend and ally.