Cuban Swimmer is a Splash with the Cultured

Okay, so I know the title of the post was my sad attempt at a journalist's heading, but that aside... The Cuban Swimmer by Milcha Sanchez-Scott is a great story of internal turmoil over cultural identity.

The protagonist, Margarita Suarez, is constantly being defined by each of the other characters, through their dialogue, actions, and mannerisms. For instance, her grand mother solely speaks in her native tongue, Spanish, which seems to be the liaison between Margarita and her native roots, and a constant reminder for her to adhere to her heritage. Her grand mother also provides the religious, or spiritual center for the family, and for the story itself. In contrast to the spirituality of the grand mother, is the American journalists in the helicopter, who look down (literally and figuratively) on the Cubans below them with their "ragtag" ways, almost pitying Margarita. This shows the ease of which the American Mass Media comes to conclusions, logical in the eye of the ignorant "drive-by media" (as Rush Limbaugh refers to it, speaking of ignorance) and how the story will ultimately make the news and be viewed by the public.

As for her father and brother, they both represent Margarita's battle with her role as a woman. Her father drives her through coaching, with the authority and subtext of what the traditional eldest male child would receive, in that she is competing athletically (in what was once considered solely a male trait) in a very competitive event. Her brother understands the relationship, and as a response to his own esteem and envy, uses humor and sarcasm to cope. Going back to the culture theme, her brother speaks in English for the most part, which seems to show the modern trend of Hispanic people, who are fluent in both English and Spanish, yet choose to mostly speak English, which could be viewed (especially by the grand mother) as turning one's back on one's heritage.

So as all of this pressure and distraction is going on around her, defining her, she goes underwater and begins a self-reflection through the "conversation" with the fish. As she emerges from near-death independently, from what everyone else assumed was her death (meaning the death of her old identity, of being defined by others) she is borne a new individual, and succeeds in the race, as well as in her self-realization.

Considering I am a Scandinavia, French and maybe a bit Polish Caucasian, I cannot fully understand the battles of culture that ensue within those of mixed heritage; my family is not religious (save for a crazy cat-lady great aunt), I also cannot fully immerse myself in the spiritual debates that are so prevalent in many cultures. However, this was an endearing, interesting tale of finding one's self.