Clave Rhythm (Symbol)
At the beginning of Isabel's storyline, she goes to the center of Havana to play her trumpet for money. Gratz writes of her difficulty counting the clave. Translating to "key," clave is a rhythmic pattern at the core of many Cuban musical styles. The clave comes up again when she is on the boat with her grandfather, who isn't as keen on going to the States as the other refugees. Among Lito's arguments against leaving their homeland is that Isabel won't be able to count clave in the US. However, at the end of the novel, Isabel performs her own Cuban-influenced salsa rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." While performing, she discovers the clave rhythm, which has "followed" her to her new home. Ultimately, the clave rhythm serves as a symbol of Isabel's Cuban identity, which she does not have to give up during her journey out of the country.
Mañana (Motif)
Despite having been pre-approved for visas to Cuba, the Jewish refugees on the MS St. Louis are kept waiting in the harbor. Whenever the refugees ask Cuban officials when they will be let on land, the Cubans say, "Mañana," Spanish for tomorrow. The longer the refugees stay in the harbor, the more it becomes clear that mañana is an empty promise designed to keep the refugees hopeful for at least another day. Similarly, Mahmoud and his family are told "tomorrow" every day they wait for a smuggler to bring them from Turkey to Lesbos. The motif later arises in the Isabel storyline when Lito, her grandfather, begins repeating it to himself. Gratz eventually reveals that Lito was among the Cuban police who told the Jewish refugees "mañana." The injustice of the MS St. Louis situation has always sat uneasily with Lito, and his sense of guilt contributes to his decision to give himself up to the US Coast Guard so his family can make it to Miami.
Piles of Life Jackets (Symbol)
Mahmoud's family spends hours treading water after the smugglers' rubber watercraft capsizes. At dawn, the Greek Coast Guard rescues them and brings them to Lesbos. Gratz writes: "Mahmoud staggered up the rocky gray shore, squinting at the hills that rose just beyond the beach. Then he realized: They weren’t real hills. They were piles and piles of life jackets." The image of the piles of life jackets stands as a symbol of the extent of the Syrian refugee crisis. As harrowing as Mahmoud's family's experience has been, Mahmoud sees they are among thousands who have fought to survive the same dangerous journey.
Blood Flows Over Castro's Face (Symbol)
To keep their boat from sinking and to stay cool, the Cuban refugees take turns swimming alongside their makeshift watercraft. The tactic serves them well until a shark attacks Isabel's neighbor, Iván. Because one of the bites hits an artery, Iván quickly loses enough blood that he dies. In a grim callback to the fact that the bottom of their boat is made from a Fidel Castro sign, Gratz writes: "Fidel Castro had Iván’s blood all over him." This image serves as a symbol of how Castro's policy decisions has precipitated a situation in which thousands of Cubans are losing their lives in a desperate bid to leave the repressive, economically depressed country.
Torn Collar (Symbol)
After the refugees on board the MS St. Louis are made to wait for many days in a Cuban harbor, they learn from Officer Padron that the ship is being turned away and the refugees' visas will not be honored. Josef asks about his father, who has been on land in a hospital since he jumped ship. When Josef learns his father will stay in Cuba, he tears the collar of his shirt, just as his father did during the ship's funeral for a man who died of old age. In a symbolic action, Josef enacts the mourning custom of rending a garment in grief ("kriah") to say goodbye to his father, who he considers to be as good as dead.
