Dominicana

“One day you’ll understand. When you fall in love, you have to play it out even if everyone calls you crazy. That’s why they call it falling. We have no control over it.”

Teresa’s words foreshadow Ana’s future conflict in love. Ana and Juan are married but not in love. Their relationship is built on duty instead of passion. This leaves Ana emotionally available to falling in love with another man, which will put her family unit at risk. Here, Ana’s sister is used as a foil to Ana. While Teresa may have a less stable life than Ana, Teresa lives for love. Cruz uses this foil to ask which is more important: true love or family obligation?

“Lesson number one to survive this life, she says through the acrid smoke, learn to pretend. You don’t need to smoke if you don’t want to, but you can use it to act like one of those movie stars.”

Mamá teaches Ana the importance of pretense. Ana is a young girl about to embark on a new, unknown life. Even Ana’s mother doesn’t know how best to guide her except to teach her how to be a good wife. Mamá also teaches her the fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude; the most important illusion is that of confidence and happiness. Ana is not taught to expect true happiness. Instead, Ana is taught to keep up appearances.

“Bully me, and I transform into an ant. I’m not like Mamá and Teresa, who fight for every inch of land and man.”

Cruz’s metaphor of Ana as an ant is a poignant characterization of Ana’s shy nature. She doesn’t have the same temperament as the other women in her family, whom she holds to a high standard of strength. In internalizing her shy nature as a weakness, Ana makes it difficult for herself to stand up to Juan or advocate for herself. Cruz foreshadows a change in Ana’s ant metaphor when she falls pregnant, as Ana now has the potential to transform into the leader her mother is, to advocate for her child.

“When Juan finally comes home, I show him the letters. I tell him about Mr. O’Brien’s visit in a childish tone that makes me upset at myself. I don’t want to be scared of Juan like I am of my parents. But I am. When Mamá gets mad, her rage is loaded with fear and worry for me. When Juan gets mad, it’s as if my dependence on him fuels the transformation in his body from concern, to anger, to fury.”

Juan’s characterization as a father figure is an important element of his relationship with Ana. Ana recognizes that she fears Juan in the same way she fears her parents, positioning her as a child in her own marriage. The age difference is significant, as is Juan’s controlling nature. The important difference is that Ana recognizes a form of love in her mother’s anger, whereas Ana sees that Juan’s anger is built out of Ana’s dependency on him.

“Oh, how I miss them. I wish they were sitting in my kitchen as I wash the dishes. Maybe it’s better to be a widow, I tell the empty chairs. What if Juan leaves the house and never comes back? A widow like Malcolm X’s wife, Betty—oh, cousin Betty!—Shabazz, left to raise six daughters by herself. Like Jackie Kennedy, left with two children, but who’s as elegant and fragile as a doll. Even my voice, like Jackie’s, has grown breathy around Juan, as I hold my breath before each word.”

In alluding to two famous wives and leaders in their own right, Ana forms a sisterhood for herself. She admires Jackie and Betty for their strength, style, and perseverance. Jackie and Betty are two very different women, historically, but each is a symbol of a different but ideal wife. In allying herself with Jackie and Betty, Ana sets up her own hopes for wifehood. Furthermore, in a world run by men, Jackie and Betty remind Ana that women are as important in America as their famous husbands.

“Juan keeps his head down when he passes the police. Inside the apartment, he is a bull. On the street, he looks small, vulnerable, even scared. As if I can blow him away like a speck of dust.”

This quote emphasizes two important conflicts in Part 3. The first is that Ana doesn’t understand the pressures Juan faces as a Dominican man with limited English, hustling for security in America. It doesn’t occur to Ana that Juan is often in danger as a man of a certain race and nationality. Secondly, this quote characterizes the male immigrant experience in which the police are a source of peril, not protection. Juan carries a significant burden is his quest to provide a better life for his family. These stresses could impact Juan’s temperament, and though not an excuse for his abuse of Ana, this stress could explain his heavy drinking and controlling nature. Juan is afraid.

“My eyes water. Not even my mother ever says such kind things. I realize then that one day, I’ll be Marisela’s age, and my daughter will be the age I am now. What fortune to have Marisela in my life, in my kitchen, filling the emptiness in my heart and in the apartment […] I kneel on the cold linoleum floor, dig my head into Marisela’s lap, and embrace her. For the first time, in a long time, I’ve found a true friend.”

Marisela’s entrance into Ana’s life represents the potential for Ana to finally have a friend, a sister, and a mother figure in New York. Ana believes that Marisela can fill the lonely holes of homesickness. But this quote foreshadows the pain Ana will feel when Marisela betrays her. Marisela is not a bad person, but is trying to survive, just like all the other Dominicans in New York. Ana’s loneliness is emphasized by the superficial friendship Marisela gives her. Though Marisela is at first kind to her, she only visits Ana when her payment is due, indicating that Ana is not as important to Marisela as Marisela is to Ana. This highlights a power dynamic in which Ana is again at the will and mercy of another person.

“To us Yrene is without a mother tongue. Her father had moved from Puerto Rico to fight in World War II. She is one-hundred-percent Americana, something I will never be. How lucky she speaks English so well. How strange for her to look like us but be one of them.”

Yrene symbolizes Ana’s future. Ana’s child will be born in America and will likely grow up speaking English, just like Yrene. Ana’s observation that Yrene is without a mother tongue connotes a loss of cultural agency and identity. Ana’s child, just like Yrene, will look like her mother’s ancestors but be of a completely different place.

“On the baby growing in complete darkness, incubating in a similar heat to Los Guayacanes. My daughter and me, one day running along the water […] My baby’s thick curls, her big Canción eyes asking me to name the palm trees, the bougainvillea, the flamboyán seeds, the clouds, the hummingbirds, the wild cats, the small islands in the distance. And for once, I will know all the answers.”

Ana’s fantasies of her life with her daughter are centered around experiences that evoke the Dominican Republic. With the birth of Ana’s American daughter, Ana will be in uncharted territory. It is notable that Ana imagines her child as fully Canción, instead of related physically or emotionally to Juan Ruiz. Also notable is Ana’s hope that the baby is a girl, which defies Juan’s hope that the baby is a boy. Furthermore, Ana hopes that once her baby is born, she will know all the answers. Though this is certainly not plausible, it is true that Ana will achieve a new level of wisdom and experience with the birth of her baby.

“Tarrytown is north. The Empire State Building is south. The river is west and east. West and north are safe because the Jews live there. East and south are unsafe because the blacks live there—they burn cars and garbage cans and throw themselves to the street for no good reason. Self-destructive, is what Juan calls them.”

Ana starts to understand the geography of America through the lens of race. This quote highlights both how segregated a diverse city like New York City was in the 1960s, as well as the racism and colorism expressed by people like Juan. As an immigrant, Juan cannot understand the Black American experience and the experience of violence in the 1960s when Black Americans took to the streets to advocate for their rights.

“Maybe something bad happened to her. Maybe she was taken away. How many women back home have disappeared from one day to another? Too many to count. Maybe Marisela is trapped. How many women get to choose who to marry and can truly dictate their own life? As God is my witness, my daughter will have choices. I pray she’ll be stubborn and free like Teresa.”

Ana’s fears for Marisela’s safety are indicative of the conflict of being a woman in the world. Ana understands the female body as a space on which people will inflict violence. She learns this at an early age and experiences it within her abusive relationship with Juan. Ana, certain that her baby will be a girl, hopes that her daughter will be strong like her sister Teresa. Ana’s fears for Marisela are really fears for her unborn daughter.

“There is an Us. It’s undeniable. An us that can’t exist when Juan is around.”

The plot and tone of the novel significantly changes when Juan leaves Ana with César. César and Ana don’t just have a friendship; Ana has an undeniable attraction to César that both scares and thrills her. Notable in this quote is her characterization of her and César as an “Us.” Ana has so few people she can talk to and rely on in New York. Finally, her loneliness is nourished by the “us” that is her and César.

“When she understands he doesn’t want to take the photograph, the woman turns to her husband and says, Those thieves. All they want is money. She says it loud enough for me to recognize Juan’s tone when talking about blacks and Puerto Ricans and Jews and Americans and anyone not Dominican.”

As Ana starts experiencing more of American city life, a negative experience she will have to face is racism. This quote captures Ana’s first explicit racial discrimination. Ana can tell based on tone that the white woman talks about Ana and César the way Juan talks about other people, which signifies to Ana that the woman has a dismissive hatred of her. The incident embarrasses Ana, but with César’s help they overcome the humiliation of the white woman’s condescension.

“Husband’s voice drops on you. It begs for a warm loving response. But wife is empty.”

With Juan away in the Dominican Republic, Ana starts to perceive their relationship as if she is watching one of her television programs. Here, she refers to herself as “wife” and to Juan as “husband”, as though neither are real people. Fictionalizing her relationship with Juan makes it easier to pretend that he won’t ever come back.

“Why not? Why can’t you fly to the moon? Or be a great designer? Why do we have to settle for just this life? I say, surprised at myself and my own ambition. We have to do it all because Yohnny can’t. We have to make the best of life for him.”

Yohnny’s death inspires Ana to think more about the future. Ana’s ambitions and hopes are motivated by her loss, and by César, who is emblematic in Ana’s mind of a capable, intelligent, and worthy man. This quote also symbolizes Ana’s change in attitude. Months into her move to New York, Ana is starting to think like a true American. She fantasizes about a radically successful life. Her job selling food has taught her how viable it is to make money in New York, so Ana is on board with César’s dreams, and pushes him to be the man she knows he can be.

“I love him. I fucking love him. His mischievous eyes, his firm ass, his muscular legs. The way he says my name with bated breath. There’s no point in lying.”

This quote highlights a major plot twist. It is one thing for Ana and César to grow close or to flirt with one another; another thing entirely to act on their newfound passion and love. Here, Ana seizes her desires and puts herself first. She stops pretending and lives for the present moment. This is uncharacteristic of Ana and emphasizes how much she has grown into her own since Juan has left. 

“I study Papá’s childlike handwriting. He went to school maybe two or three years at most. Yes, Papá, a good man pays the rent, provides for his family, works hard. A good man keeps his word. He cheats on his wife. He almost chokes her to death. He punches, slaps, trips, hurts her. Yes, Papá, Juan is a good man.”

This quote highlights the ultimate irony of Ana’s life. Everyone in her family admires Juan as a “good man” because he brings them to America, where their lives and prospects can vastly improve. The reality that only Ana knows is that Juan is also violent and in love with another woman. This highlights the break in the family dynamics when one member moves to another country. Far away from her parents and siblings, no one truly knows what Ana’s admirable life in America is like. This disconnect is indicative of Ana’s curse to be the one to build a new life. The hope, which Cruz foreshadows throughout the novel, is that Ana’s sacrifice will be worth it through the new life of her daughter. Juan may be bad to her, but at least he provides her with a child whom she can place her hopes upon. Given their patriarchal society, Cruz characterizes Ana’s father as a background character, almost pitiable in his inability to make his family’s life secure. Juan may provide the life that Papá could not, but he lacks Papá’s gentle kindness.

“Once Mamá arrives, she’ll take over. I’ll no longer have a say about what we eat for dinner or where things should go. From the first day, she’ll rearrange everything, I’m sure of it. But what choice do I have?”

Mamá’s arrival is the moment Ana has been waiting for. The purpose of Ana’s marriage to Juan and move to New York is to bring the rest of the family with her. Now that Mamá is coming, Ana is both excited and in dread. Mamá is as controlling as Juan, and two hot tempers in one apartment that will surely project onto Ana scares her. At least Juan leaves for the day. With Mamá around, Ana will lose her autonomy in the household. This emphasizes that Ana constantly sacrifices her independent happiness for the good of the family unit. Her family is both her blessing and her curse.

“Outside I examine the grave faces of the older men and women standing guard in front of their buildings. Their anger makes me nervous, but I understand it. To be angry and not have the power to control your life. To not feel safe. To depend on a person who reminds you how they can hurt you, even kill you, at their whim. I understand.”

Though Ana is kept away from life in New York, she has become more understanding of her environment, and braver to participate in that environment. Though she doesn’t know all the layers to the protests that challenge American identity in the 1960s, she recognizes the feelings of the angry and marginalized people around her. When she joins the protest, Ana protests for herself and for the country she will be able to one day call home. Here, Ana asserts herself to make herself and her country better for her future daughter.

“Juan is my monster and my angel. In this messed-up world, he tries his best. And I owe it to him to try my best. Maybe with time if César keeps his distance, I can make my marriage work. I can ask Mamá to heal me from the poisonous fish. To make me one of her potions to forget César. Maybe then I can even love Juan.”

Juan is a necessary evil in Ana’s life. Though he is an antagonist in the story, he is not a token evil character. He helps change Ana’s life and improves her family’s station, but this help comes at the cost of his control and violence. Here, Ana’s guilt about her affair with César, coupled with her disappointment that César is incapable of doing for her what Juan can, is internalized. She resolves to be kinder to Juan, even though it is Juan who needs to change his behavior. Without Juan, Ana will not be able to save her family. But with Juan, Ana will always walk on eggshells. Ana’s hope that one day she can love Juan is a pipe dream.

“The leaves on the trees outside our window soon become vibrant, bursting with color. For something to be born, Papá always says, something has to die. But pregnant as I am, I can’t manage any more loss. How beautiful the leaves look right before their last days. Every year they fall, so the tree trunks rest and the leaves can come back in the spring.”

Cruz uses the changing seasons to symbolize rebirth and growth. In contrast to Santo Domingo, the weather of New York City changes every few months, offering new opportunities for different actions and feelings. This moment also juxtaposes with Ana’s arrival to New York in the winter. Ana welcomes the rest of her family, including her daughter, in more temperate weather, highlighting that the worst of her experience is behind her. The changing of the seasons parallels Ana’s shifting family dynamics. Yohnny is dead, but a new Canción is on their way to breathe new life into the family, just as each season brings new life to the monotony of daily routines.

“Once Juan and Lenny are gone, Mamá seems relieved. Her fragility makes my heart open to her. Everything I feared about her as a child, her lioness will, her strict ways are gone. Gone!”

Mamá, once a force of nature in Ana’s life, is subdued by America. Ana had not expected her mother to be intimidated by anything. In this surprising turn, Cruz emphasizes the odd transition for the individual who starts the diaspora. Ana has become accustomed to New York City, and now has the upper hand and a better understanding about how to live than her mother. Their role reversal is a point of contention for both Ana and Mamá.

“Her fist punches the air with determination. And a wave of love fills every empty corner in my heart. So full, so full. I know now why I survived. For once everything makes sense. Traveling from Los Guayacanes, marrying Juan, without all of it, she would’ve never been born.”

Even the most painful parts of Ana’s life make sense now that she has motherly love. Her responsibility to her daughter transcends all her own desires and fears. Without her tumultuous immigration and abusive relationship with Juan, she wouldn’t have this daughter. Ana’s life comes full circle in a sphere of joy, self-respect, and hope for the future. That Ana’s daughter starts life with a fist punch of determination symbolizes the strength her daughter will learn from Ana. Ana’s daughter will have a happier, more fulfilling life than Ana, as evidenced by her fighting spirit.