Margarita Suarez Quest for Identity in The Cuban Swimmer - Book Report/Review Example

Margarita Suarez’ quest for Identity in The Cuban Swimmer Introduction Margarita Suarez, in The Cuban Swimmer represents the dilemma of immigrants inforeign lands where they have to struggle hard to win a place in the land and heart of the people of the host country. The Cuban family moved towards America, a promised land, where they were to build a new and secure home for their children but the new people lands were reluctant to accept them easily. The immigrants faced an identity crisis which even shifted to the new generation but Margarita appears as the representatives of new generation who through their resilience and efforts are able to fulfill the dreams of their family. The swimming journey from San Pedro to San Catalina is symbolic cruise for identity and place by the immigrants. In the end, the brave, resilient young girl, Margarita is successful to reach the dream land, a secure place where one could at least have a sense of ownership and relaxation away from the tumultuous atmosphere of the sea. Background of the play The action of the play may have some allegorical touches as it alludes to mass exodus of rebels during the regime of Fidel Castro during 1980. American government tried to tackle the issue and started accommodating this immigrant population gradually. There came the Cuban Adjustment Act which promised to grant those Cuban the status of permanent residents who could have access to “dry land but those who were intercepted while at sea would be returned to Cuba” (Kirszner & Mandell 1731). Margarita ,in this connection seems to represent those Cubans who reached the dry land and were able to get US nationality. She also represent those people who are now the pride of nation. “ Margarita Suarez, with flotilla of boats to meet her, is now walking on the waters, through the breakers… onto the beach, with crowds of people cheering her on” ( Sachez-Scott 1417). Margarita Suarez Margarita Suarez is the favorite of her father. Her father prefers her over her brother as he thinks that the girl could be the custodian of family’s honor and respect and it will be through Margarita that family would be able to win fame and name in American society. Margarita is attached to her father. That’s why she consistently cries “papi, papi”. Whenever she wants to know what’s going on in the surroundings or whenever she is afraid of something, she only calls her father for help. In the starting scenes of the play when there is noise of the press helicopter, the swimmer gets frightened and distracted. She asks her father what’s going and at her father’s reassurance she continues her swimming. Her father is her coach and mentor who keeps on encouraging her by saying “ mi hija… Your papi’s got everything under control, understand? Uh… you just keep stroking” ( Sanchez-Scott 1408). Margarita and the family Margarita is also well connected with other members of her family. The family is supporting her by following her through a boat. It is by staying close to boat that Margarita will be safe. That’s why her father advises her, “ Ah stay…uh…close to the boat” (Sanchez-Scott 1408 ). She is engaged in struggle because of her family. Eduardo says to her, “ Hija, give it everything, eh? Por la familia. Uno…dos… You must win”(Sanchez-Scott 1410). This thing shows that Margarita is not doing all this for her own sake rather she is putting her life on risk only for her family. Representative of youth of immigrants Margarita seems to be aware of the situation of Cuban immigrants in American society. Her fears about the fish around her are actually the unconscious realization on her part of dilemma of Cuban immigrants. The immigrants were aware that American hosts had not accepted them cordially. This influx of Cuban population to American was being taken as a burden on American resources. Margarita’s outburst show the agony of Cuban youth who were unable to understand the situation around them and who were quite disturbed to see feeling of un-acceptance and hate in American’s eyes. The following lines bear symbolic significance: “ The fish are all biting me … they hate me… they whisper about me. She can’t swim, they say. She can’t glide. She has no grace…. Yellowtails, bonita, tuna, man-o-war, snub-nose sharks, los barracudas…they all hate me” (Sanchez-Scott 1415) Split identity seems also to be a problem faced by the Cuban youth. The Cuban youth are the product of two identities. At one side they own the Cuban identity of their parents and on the other side they try to affiliate themselves with their American counterparts. Split identity has expressed itself in the form of use of two languages. All the Cuban characters including young Cubans, Simon and Margarita, are using both English and Spanish. The elders of the family seem to be convenient with their old linguistic asset( Spanish), while the youth are using a mixture of both English and Spanish. The very title of the play suggests the presence of the issue of identity as the girl has been addressed as “ the Cuban Swimmer”. The press has addressed 19 year old Margarita as “ little Cuban Swimmer”. They haven’t addressed her as “American Swimmer”. They still think that she belongs to Cuba and is an alien for American society. The absence of ownership on the part of American Press seems to represent the feeling and opinion of American society which has yet to accept the Cubans as Americans. Margarita’s physical struggle Margarita does all the accomplishment on her own. She only has the moral support of her family. The family is not allowed to give her any physical support. They are even not allowed to touch her. Any physical contact between them could result in her disqualification from the competition. This thing gives the impression that in American society the young generation of immigrants will have to make themselves acceptable through their own efforts. They will have to win their place in the alien society through their own physical struggle. The youth will have to make their own contribution to this historical contact of two nations. In the character of Margarita, “ we witness coming of age of the young girls both physically and spiritually, but above all, culturally and historically and politically” (Ramirez 112). Through her physical effort, she single-handedly tried to resolve the identity crisis. Margarita’s tackling of the things is different from her mother and grandmother. Abuela, has an inherent spiritualism and she tries to find the solution of the problems through her praying while Aida’s motherly concern is also in contrast with practicality of Margarita. This impractical attitude of the old women also irritates Eduardo who admonishes both the women for their impracticality and asks them to contribute practically. Conclusion The Cuban Swimmer by Milcha Sanchez-Scott depicts the plight of Cuban immigrants who are in search of their identity in foreign land. The story of the plays shows the efforts and struggles of a Cuban family to get recognition amongst all the hostility and foreignness. The cohesiveness of the immigrants’ family is also shown and the way they back up their young girl shows that the lives and aspirations of the immigrants are integrated to each other and they are dependent on each other for survival. The young generation of the Cuban immigrants seems to act as the savior of her family who faces all the dangers to her life to win name and fame for her family. The story also encompasses the problems and crises faced by the youth. The acute identity crisis and the hatred borne by the youth have been dramatized through the feelings and emotions of the Cuban Swimmer who undergoes many stages of struggle and self-discovery before the achievement of her goal. The chief aim of the immigrants is to reach the “dry land” of their dreams where they could get recognition they desire. The hosts will only accommodate those people who will show strength of character like Margarita. Works Cited Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Boston, Mass: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004. Print. Ramírez, Elizabeth C. Chicanas - Latinas in American Theatre: A History of Performance. Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 2000. Print. Sanchez-Scott, Milcha. "The Cuban Swimmer.". Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. 1407-1417. Print. Read More