Aubrey Blackstock post three

Throughout the book, I have noticed that the theme acceptance is the key to true freedom occurs. Juan creates a false perception of who he truly is. He denies who is family is. For example on page 134 Juan remembers telling everyone that "his mother had been a maid in a great mansion in Miramar, and his father had been killed in the Sierra Maestrea Mountains,fighting beside Fidel." It's not just Juan, all of the exiles have similar thoughts. The exiles say things like, "oh I shouldn't have left. It's going to get better any day now. I should have sat it out and waited patiently." In truth, if they saw what was going on back home, they wouldn't want to go back. The exiles need to accept their decision and realize that it might have been the right one for them. Accepting the truth can make all the difference especially for Juan. It wasn't until he heard his father's voice, while Juan was floating in the raft, that he recognized it was shameful to lie about one's past. When Juan finally accepted who he is, he was no longer afraid of dying, or anything. He finally felt whole and this truth set him free.