Ajello final post

I believe the most important theme expressed in the book is of freedom. Through out the book Juan talks about and remembers his old way of life with his father before the communists and the revolution occurred. He dreams and longs for the freedom he had as a kid. This long terrible journey only happened because of three men longing for the freedom we feel each day. They chose to sail 90 miles in a raft made of inner tubes, and some played the ultimate price for it, death. This obviously means freedom is worth dying for. The author described this very well in the book, when he hinted of Juans past and giving reasons why they left in the first place. He talks about the revolution and how people even fought for freedom in cuba. This means freedom is worth dying for and I think this is the main theme of the book.

Lane Final post.

I think that one of the main themes in the book, The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera was overcoming fear. In the beginning of the book Juan was terrified of death and many other things . In Chapter 2 when the G-2 agent came up to them he was so scared he couldn't even stand. He said himself, he used to be a coward. As the journey progressed Juan became more and more courageous. When Andres sacrificed himself for his friends, Juan was too paralized by fear to do anything about it. But as the journey progressed Juan became less fearful. When Raul was being attacked be the shark, Juan swam towards the shark and tried to help fight, even though he could have been killed. Once he was alone he had finally accepted death. It was no longer a fear of his anymore. PUssing past his fear inabled him to persever through out hiss journey. If he had not overcome his fears he would not have been able to finish the journey. He wouldn't have had the strength to go on just being scared of everything all the time.

Sriram's Final Post

The theme I see in this story would be "friendship can take you a long way." This is easily expressed in the story in many ways, for example. Only a true friend like Andres would give up himself in the escape of his friends to Florida. Some people would have just lied low like Juan and Raul and try not to be seen by the gunboat. Andres was obviously thinking of his friends before himself. I believe he would do such a thing to just anybody he saw. He did because he wanted them to escape freely without any problems, and not have to get deported back to Cuba. He took the hit for his friends in the situation. Another reason would be the fact that they all worked as a team to build the raft. The desire probably can from there longing to leave the island and to help there friends in the escape. I think one of them was only thinking of only escaping and not about his comrades in the escape too. I do believe that the theme would be "friendship can take you a long way."

Chapman Final Post

I believe the main theme in the book was determination. This is illustrated throughout the book and is very significant to the plot. Juan first has to drive himself to get on the inner tube raft and set sea with his friends. He soon loses one friend from a Soviet gunboat. Next, Juan loses his second friend to an unlikely shark attack. Juan goes through a few more problems throughout the book, like loneliness and a hurricane. Later on, Juan almost drowns, but his inner determination and a vision of his father gives him strength to go on in his journey. After all Juan's hardships at sea, he still pushes on to America.

Rodrigues final post

I think the theme of the book is really well summed up with the last few lines.
"in the last days, when he drifted in the stream after Raul's death, when the Negrura came, when she arrived dressed in darkness, he had seen tiny, fleeting specks of color swirling in her breast, like the fiery little blossoms of the framboyan carried by the wind, dancing in the wind."
These few phrases sum up the entire theme of the book. It means simply this; pain leads to new beginnings. In Juan’s case, the pain of losing his father inspired the beginnings of his fears. the pain of his fears inspired the begging of his bravery, and pushed him ninety miles across part of the ocean, through storms, and ocean trials to a new hope. For Vivian, the pain of losing her father inspired her interest in her Cuban heritage. The physical pain of Andres and Raul caused Juan to be able to begin a new life in Miami.
And Juan comes to realize this as he stands in José’s warm embrace. He sees that even the Negrura, despite her darkness, is cloaked in beautiful colors, and decorated with the ornate beauty of the framboyan flowers, which dance in the wind. And through the loss he feels for Andres and Raul, he has hope that perhaps even after the pain of death and darkness (the Negrura) there is still a new beginning.

Adams Final Post

The main theme of the book is life isn't perfect. There are many different examples through out the book about Juan's life being horrible: when his father is taken away and killed, when the hurricane just has to come during those few days they were at sea, when his two friends, his raft mates, are shot by the people on the boat and eaten by a shark, and his whole life being contained by the Communist Cuban government and not able to be let out and explored. Life isn't perfect is a good quality for this book and all books because it is so true. Life is not perfect no matter how hard you try because you will mess up once in a while and you can't go back in time to fix it and make it better. When people die to save some one else , like Alberto, it isn't perfect like life even though it is very heroic.

Hall Final Post

One theme displayed throughout the book is perseverance. Jaun's whole life was filled with obstacles. His father was taken away and killed when he just a boy. Also, he was living under the harsh control of his government. The conditions in Cuba were not working out for him so he decided to make the treacherous journy to Miami by innertube. This was no easy task. So he gets on the innertube with Raul and Andres and set to sea. Along the way he loses both of his companions. He is alone in the middle of the ocean. Obviously, he is in a tough spot. He has had to fight through obstacles the whole book. Now he is stranded all by himself. But somehow he gutted it out and made it safely. Many people couldn't have done that. That is why perseverance is one of the main themes of the book.