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The Themes Of Family In Everyone Leaves, By Wendy Guerra

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Growing up is seen upon as miserable time in a person’s life. That growing into adulthood is a whole mess of feelings and new responsibilities. On the journey one makes while growing up, different situations are experienced and new people are met. Family can help improve and influence the way you grow up. In the book, Everyone Leaves, by Wendy Guerra, Nieve, the main character and narrator, writes in a diary throughout her life. The diary entries are about situations she encounters and people she meets while living in Cuba. In Everyone Leaves, the author reveals the theme that family does not necessarily mean that it is a related bond, but can also be people who influence you to become the person you are, by writing about living with Fausto, …show more content…

Antonio showed up to Nieve’s place to a film a documentary and they had a connection based on her diaries. Guerra writes, “ ‘What are your plans in Paris?’ I had absolutely no response for him. I could have said love, but besides being an overly simple explanation, it wasn’t true anymore”(222). Speaking to Antonio about her life and plans made Nieve realize that she wasn’t going to Paris anymore. Antonio opened Nieve’s eyes and she saw what was happening around her. Everyone leaving and the different political problems and tensions in Cuba. Once Antonio read Nieve’s diary, he wanted to respond to them, where he wanted her to challenge herself and be honest. Guerra writes, “I think about Antonio, who’s asked me for complete honesty in the Diary, clear waters, strength. He asks me to push myself, to be up-front about what I’ve shared with him”(244). Antonio and Nieve had a limited time together but she felt comfortable when talking to Antonio. By being with him, Nieve learns to face her feelings and to accept everything that has happened to …show more content…

It is often thought that people met over time like Osvaldo and Fausto, do not have an influence on the kind of person one becomes because it is merely a friendship and not a real relationship. However, the relationship that Nieve had with Fausto was real because he was a father figure to her. Osvaldo was Nieve’s first boyfriend and she learned about society and art while being with him. Antonio influenced Nieve to accept her past and to better herself. The kind of relationship Nieve and Fausto had developed into a family bond. Fausto was Nieve’s stepfather but he was with her more than her real father ever was. Nieve and Fausto were not related by blood but he was by her side more than her biological father ever was. This affected the way Nieve grew up since she did not have her father around, and neither did she have Fausto, who was her father figure when she was younger. Osvaldo was Nieve’s boyfriend when she was still young but she experienced and learned many things from him. He was her first, which was significant to her. Osvaldo was still in Nieve’s life even after he left for Paris which developed into a sadness brought over Nieve because she constantly felt alone. Once she met Antonio though, she realized that

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