Ivan’s Industriales Hat

Ivan’s Industriales hat is a symbol of pride in one’s country and hometown, despite the political situation and upheaval. It is also a symbol of Isabel’s love and friendship with her neighbor. The Industriales are the Havana baseball team, and Ivan “wanted to become a professional baseball player when he grew up, and he was good enough that it wasn’t a crazy dream” (9). After Ivan is attacked by the shark and they have to abandon his body in the ocean, Isabel finds the hat at the bottom of the boat and puts it on. In the final perspective from Isabel, Gratz writes how she stands playing her trumpet, in her American classroom, playing the star-spangled banner, wearing Ivan’s hat. She realizes that though she is an American now, and though Ivan has passed, she brought Cuba and her...