The Red Umbrella

Different pieces of jewelry appear throughout the novel, and each item carries symbolic meaning, particularly regarding identity, independence, and family. One example includes Mama’s diamond earrings, which show up several times in the novel. When Mama gives them to Lucia to wear to the dance, she is acknowledging that her daughter is growing up. When Lucia gets home from the dance, the soldiers do not think to take the earrings from Lucia, so Mama is able to keep them, even though the soldiers take all her other valuables. The earrings are the family’s last object of value, and they remind Mama that the revolution cannot take everything from her.

At the airport, Lucia discovers that Mama’s diamond earrings are missing. Mama explains that she sold them for plane tickets for Lucia and Frankie. This is important because the earrings were the family’s last possession of any value. That Mama sold them to ensure Lucia and Frankie’s safety demonstrates the importance of family.

Another example is the gold necklace that Mrs. Baxter gives to Lucia on her 15th birthday. The necklace belonged to Mrs. Baxter, and her choice to pass it down to Lucia symbolizes their growing affection and connection to one another. The necklace also reflects Lucia’s development. Ivette once made fun of a cross necklace Lucia used to wear in Cuba, calling it childish. There is nothing childish about Mrs. Baxter’s gesture; Lucia understands the significance of the gift and is touched by it. Thus, the necklace also marks Lucia’s maturity.

Communication is a central motif in the novel. There is a clear conflict between the factual, unbiased headlines published by the free press in the United States and the propaganda that proliferates throughout Cuba under that government’s direction and control. These contrasting types of communication are manifestations of the key conflicts revolving around political beliefs, oppression, and freedom.

Letters represent another type of communication that recurs throughout the novel. Once Lucia is in the United States, letters are one of her primary means of staying in contact with her parents and with Ivette. Letters become a significant connection between Lucia’s Cuban and American lives. When letters from home stop, Lucia is certain something is wrong. Lucia’s letters with Ivette take on additional meaning, becoming a metaphor for the state of their friendship. Once it becomes clear that their difference cannot be reconciled, Lucia crumples and discards Ivette’s letter, an act that signifies the end of their friendship.