Part Five, The Surrender Tree, 1898-99 Summary

In Part Five, The Surrender Tree, 1898-99, Rosa describes the bombing of a U.S. battleship.

In "Jose," he describes how, after the bombing of the U.S. battleship Maine, Spain no longer cares for its army in Cuba. Thousands of deserters come to the rebels for help; they wish to switch sides.

In "Silvia," foreign journalists have arrived; only Jose refuses to be photographed or sketched. He had heard of a man harmed by a camera and did not want the same to happen to him. Silvia believes the real reason is that he wanted to keep the location of the hospitals hidden.

In the second "Rosa," the countryside is destroyed, and rumors fly around about the involvement of the U.S. Some believe they are here to help, others think they...