The point that Lourdes cannot discover Pilar’s experience of art is another significant stress on its relationship
“Color was my personal words, I wanted to share with your. Translations just confuse it, dilute it, eg words supposed of Language to help you English. I jealousy my personal mommy her Language curses both. They make my personal English collapse when you look at the a stack.” (pg. 59)
Felicia features a very intimate, but substandard experience of their own children
Pilar and you may Lourdes is far from personal. Pilar features a journal, and that she need certainly to mask for the lining out of their unique cold weather coat. Pilar’s log would be reported to be an echo of the pseudo-record one Celia have, on paper emails to their former partner. Pilar and you may Celia are particularly comparable, and their parallels arise more info on as the novel happens into. This is one more reason why Lourdes and you will Pilar are continuously butting brains. Lourdes’s relationship with Celia try tricky. When Celia gave delivery in order to Lourdes, the woman is cited as the passing the child in order to Jorge and claiming “I won’t remember their unique label” (pg 43). Lourdes understands that it story, plus in a way demonstrates to you reasons why she clings so you can their dad and you will rejects their mother.
One day Lourdes finds Pilar’s log and discovers one to their child has started holding by herself on shower, a consistent action to take throughout adolescence. Regardless of if Lourdes certainly possess a problem with sex one their own child is aware of, she berates her for it, striking her and you may getting in touch with their unique a slut. Around appears to be a stable race anywhere between Pilar and Lourdes; Lourdes soreness getting reduce Cuba, if you’re Pilar needs to return that is convinced that she’ll see herself in the event that she actually is reunited together with her grandmother here.
It passing not only relates to Pilar’s connection with their particular artwork, but inaddition it identifies their particular tumultuous connection with their particular mother, Cuba, in addition to Foreign language words
Pilar spends their unique paint to communicate with individuals, it is in this typical you to she feels the most for example herself, in which she seems she somalien filles si chaud can be the best understood. Lourdes is actually tired of what Pilar produces. She cannot understand the abstract nature of their illustrations. A vicious loop is established, because Pilar does not learn how to correspond with her mother, and you can Lourdes does not understand how to keep in touch with their own child. A love anywhere between a parent and you may child is actually generally realized once the getting certainly understanding and mercy. It includes feeling safe, otherwise a sense of belonging. Remarkably, Pilar will not be so it having Lourdes, and you will Lourdes will not getting it having Celia. So it introduces a separate theme which is omnipresent from inside the Fantasizing into the Cuban, issue out of house and that belong.
Eventually, there is the profile off Felicia, and her three children: Ivantino, and her twins Luz and Milagro. She dotes into Ivanito, that’s isolated regarding twins. Luz and you can Milagro has actually memory of its dad one to Ivanito really does maybe not share. To own Ivanito, his father given up him additionally the remaining portion of the family, yet he cannot appreciate this otherwise how. Luz and you can Milagro remember its mommy setting your burning you to day and you can exiling him off their home. Felicia would-be reported to be the absolute most unstable of one’s del Pino family members, suffering from just what is apparently manic depression. She’s tall ups and downs; she’s got minutes once the a loving mom, handling their particular children. This is exactly overshadowed from the their unique times out of frenzy, and you may an occurrence in which she attempts to eliminate herself and you can Ivanito.
Whenever Ivanito is sent to college, he increases a desire for understanding the fresh new languages, especially Russian, and just have a little bit of English. The guy expands a relationship with his Russian professor, hence similar to the one to together with mom, is seen as improper regarding eyes out-of their classmates and you can their school. His teacher is sooner or later sent aside, to own reasons that remain uncertain, but it’s advised it comes from which have unconventional relationship along with his children.