Grace Post Three

The theme I chose is that there's hope in both life and death. The author used this theme for nearly every major event and main character. For example, when Andres gave himself up for Raul and Juan, he knew he was getting freedom, perhaps not the way he wanted but he was. He also knew was giving the chance to live in freedom to Raul and Juan. When Raul was eaten by the shark, Juan, even though he was numb with shock, he felt (to quote) "as if all the fear and all the death and all the duplicity of the last thirty years had been swallowed in that place"the place being where Raul had last been. He had also gained confidence and was comforted by the fact that he and the place where Raul had been were flowing together in the Gulf Stream. When the unknown 14 year old boy's funeral took place, everyone was driven to tears, just imagining the loss. However, the only comfort and hope was that he gained true freedom. Jose Antonio, Raul's brother, lost Raul, but he found Juan and he already had his own family, who are living free. There are many more examples, and despite that fact that the story was somewhat depressing, the author tied hope into all the grief and sorrow.