Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia - Essay Example The novel setting is in between Cuba and the USA where the focus is on a single family of three generations. Ideally, the novel narration in the novel is the third person narration with countable instances written in the first person narration. One of the key aspects witnessed across the novel is the fact that the narration jumps from one point in time to another hence going contrary to the linear fashion of narration. The novel has a number of themes witnessed all through the plot that vary from memory, living in exile, family ties and political divisions that characterized the Cuban history. Writing techniques used by Garcia I.Retrospection All through the novel, the narrator seems to be giving accounts of events that they might have experienced in the past without interfering with the flow of the story. The purpose of using this technique is to illustrate the suffering of the Del Pino family that spreads across the generations. The family members that plotline focuses on are Pilar, Celia del Pino’s grand daughter, Lourdes and Felicia who are Celia’s daughters. The author relies on the accounts of the narrator as the author was in exile that did not interact with Castro’s rule. Therefore, the narrators pat makes the author to have a glimpse of how it used to be back in the day when Garcia was residing in the USA. This aspect of narrations relatively appears in films hence making Garcia a formidable author as not many may use this technique in their literature works. II. Projection The projection technique is a technique that blends well with science fiction stories where the predicted future tends t o be imaginary, but at the same time appears real to the reader. In the novel, projection is a clear element that affects the narrator’s story as the mental instability that had struck Celia befalls on her daughter Felicia. In essence, Celia became mentally unstable when her husband Jorge died while Felicia became mentally unstable because of the ill treatment that she received form her husband. In the end, Felicia attempts to kill Hugo, her husband as the torture proves immense on her. On the other hand, Celia becomes mentally unstable because of the cruelty that received from Jorge’s mother and sister all through her pregnancy. Therefore, the obvious projection here is that cruelty and pregnancy were the probable causes of mental disorders for these two women. III. Different period and structure The author uses this technique within the characters of the novel to suggest reflections that they have of the future. The constant throws in between time helps in the illust ration of the turmoil that the characters were experiencing although at different times. In essence, the psychological torment that the characters portrayed illustrated the gravity of their situation that justified some of their actions. For instance, the author asserts that the minds of Celia and Felicia snapped at some point although the time of their occurrence was not the same. Another similarity presented by the author is that both Celia and Felicia gave birth to daughters as their first children. Therefore, the author uses this technique to present the striking similarities in the occurrence of events that occurred at different times. IV. Straight forward Evidently, the format of the narration is no different from the normal presentation of a story as the novel begins with a clear beginning that