Common Good vs. Individualism
A conflict exists between self-interest and collective interest—self-preservation and commonweal—for a majority of the characters in the narrative. Blanca had to make this choice as a young mother in order to pursue social activism and a political cause in her homeland. Absent for 27 years, she is still involved in her children’s lives keeping track and offering advice. While Olga and Prieto can hardly reconcile the parental abandonment, the question about the common good and individualism is raised in the novel. As a political figure, Prieto finds himself having an inner conflict between his identity and public opinion taking into account his secret. Similarly, Olga also has this bone of contention regarding self-preservation in terms of her identity and career. The narrative is filled with characters either making sacrifices for the greater good or battling with protecting their self-interests.
The American Dream
The narrative delves into the current political climate where socioeconomic inequality is part of the reality and political discourse. It explores the pursuit of the American dream particularly for immigrants trying to make a better life despite the hurdles. The siblings have grown up without the privileges that are at the disposal of white America. Olga is a wedding planner with entrepreneurial tactics to earn more money from her rich clients to achieve her American dream. In his political journey, Prieto is having to face the reality of gentrification and corporate greed that define the modern landscape. As a radical activist, Blanca is against the capitalist mindset that her children have adopted which causes further dispute in the family. Furthermore, the novel highlights the corruption and imperialism by the one percent that takes advantage of the underprivileged societies. It focuses on the idea that the American dream is an elusive thing as the wealthy continue to seek contentment as Olga observes.
Family Discord
The dynamic in Olga’s family is fragile and dysfunctional but yet again there is a strong bond. Already with a deceased father, Blanca abandoned her two children and left for Puerto Rico to become a revolutionary. Though she is an absent mother, the discord between mother and the kids persist through the letters Blanca sends. She is disappointed by her son’s choice to choose a political career that disagrees with her radical ideologies. Likewise, Olga receives the same criticism since she too is not living up to the potential that her mother wished for her. Raised in Brooklyn, the two siblings grapple with their identities, as they have to deal with the manipulations from their mother too. Since they have abandonment issues, their hatred for Blanca’s choice to leave them escalates the family conflict.
