American Dream

Constancia represents the American Dream. Her success selling lotions and creams to Cuban- American women shows how well she understands the market she's pursuing. Her fervor for selling products is so intense that she even paints Heberto's motorboat in a floral motif to promote her new perfume— lower of Exile. Reina is uncomfortable with Constancia's preoccupation with making money and sees the boat as a "gliding advertisement for her sister." By the time Constancia returns to Cuba, she is so thoroughly Americanized that she sees the rough skin of her countrywomen as an entrepreneurial opportunity. "When El Commandant kicks the bucket, Constancia speculates, just imagine all the lotions and creams she could sell!" In this novel, the comforts of the American Dream can come at the cost of exploiting the culture of one's childhood and one's family members.

Change and Transformation

Throughout this novel, the characters go...