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.

Baker Final Post

I feel that one of the most important themes of the story is that true strength comes from within. This theme has been expressed a lot in the story as the emotions, feeling, and memories that Juan experiences. When Juan was at the beach, it was hope that drove him to get in the raft and sail to America. After Raul was attacked by the shark, Juan continued to drift with a sense that the spot where Raul died drifted along with him. When Juan felt like he was being pulled down by death and was going to drown, it was the voice of Juan's dead father that gave Juan the strength to pull himself up on the raft and prevent himself from drowning. Even the memory of Carmen was enough for Juan to find the strength he needed to make it across the ocean to the U.S. These memories and emotions are a key part of this story, and they play an important role in this theme, and that true strength does come from within.

Sarah final post

There are many themes in this novel; one is facing your fears. From the beginning of the novel you can tell Juan has a lot of fears. When Juan and Rual get stopped by the G-2 agent Juan is so scared they would get caught that he is unable to move from the car. When Juan and the others started to load the inner tube every noise made Juan nervous that someone was going to see them and it also made him question if they should go. There are many more places Juan had to faces his fears such as Andres getting shot and Rual getting eaten. After they died Juan learned to face his fears by himself. He knew he had to; it was the only way to stay alive. By the end of the book I think Juan has faced all his fears and has become more confident.

Choi Final Post

One main theme in the book is "nothing is free" or "one must lose in order to gain." Juan's entire voyage exemplifies this theme, for he managed to obtain freedom, but in exchange, the lives of his two companions were taken from him; in chapter 3, Juan and Raúl continued on their journey, but Andrés was shot and killed, and in chapter 8, Juan continued on, but Raúl was killed by the shark. Also, Alberto's mission is a good example of this theme; he finally found and rescued Juan in the ocean, but he died from the plane. When Juan was finally in Miami in chapters 17 and 18, the author demonstrated how his crossing required great sacrifices to be made, especially in chapter 18 when Juan tells José Antonio that Raúl had died, giving the story a bittersweet ending. This theme helps to illustrate the hardships everybody must face in order to move forward in life.

Sowell Final Post

There are many themes in "The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera," but one of the most important was to push threw your pain. Throughout Juan's whole life, he had to keep going on no matter how badly it hurt him. For example, in Chapter 3, it was Juan, Raul, and Andres' second day of the journey to America, and already they were confronted by a gunboat. Andres went out to sacrifice himself for the good of Juan and Raul, and ended up being killed. Like I said, it was the second day and already Juan had lost one of his best friends. Emotional, that hurt Juan, but he kept going for America. Also, in Chapter 8, Juan's other friend, Raul got devoured by a shark, so he was left alone, but he kept moving on. All of his perseverance left him floating in the middle of the ocean, until Antonio came searching for him, and the Coast Guard later rescued him. Even though all of this got him to the U.S. which was what he was trying for all along, he wasn't done pushing through the pain; he had to meet up with Raul's brother, Jose. Even though it brought him much pain, Juan had to explain to Jose that Raul was dead.

Weaver Final Post

One of the themes in the story is to stay strong. Juan is a new man now because he has gone through so much. He once called himself a coward but now, how can he be. Juan watched both of his friends die and faced a hurricane. He went through many emotional battles too. He is not that same man we all knew at the beginning of the story, nervous and cautious, he is a stronger person, inside and out. He knows he has over come everything and he tells us that at the story's end. He lets us know that he is a new, changed man and he knows it too. Also I believe that he thinks that everything is going to perfect now. He thinks, what could happen that is worse than what I've already been through? He is in America, he is out of the middle of the ocean, he told Raul's brother that he is gone, and he is with Carmen. What could go wrong? Another thing that I noticed about Juan is that he hasn't changed so much that he is cocky about what he went through, He is just grateful that he made it and is with Carmen.

Gowing Post 3

I believe that one of the main themes for this book was getting through all the conflicts in life. Juan faced many challenges on his journey from Cuba. He escaped a shark, survived a hurricane, and found his true love. He was continuously thinking about what he was going to do next, and how to survive the next step. Every time he solved one problem, there was always something else right around the corner. He came face to face with death so many times, but he was able to get through everything.
This theme relates to our own lives all the time. For us, our conflicts may not be as extreme, but they are always there. Every day we’re faced with something new we have to deal with. From frustrating homework in school, to resisting peer pressure, we always have to make hard choices. Life is constantly throwing different obstacles in our way. This book showed that life isn’t easy, but it’s always worth it in the end.

Wakeman Final Post

I think the them in The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera is hope. Juan, Raul, and Andres all left Cuba hoping the America would be better. They wouldn't have left the country they were born in, their family, and their lives if they didn't have hope that they would make the journey to a seemingly better place. Many people immigrate to different countries hoping for a better life, this is the case for Juan. Even though he loses his companions he still manages to make it to Florida because he had hope and that hope kept him going. Sometimes, like in Juan's case, you lose everything and all you have left is hope. Usually there are casualties on a journey and hope is what keeps us all going on our journeys and since the theme for this semester is the journey this was a good book to include for this topic.

Johnston Final Post

It may be one of the more obvious themes, but to me it seemed like the theme that was expressed most strongly and most often in the book "The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera" was the idea that if you continue to persevere through everything, you can survive and come out not necessarily ahead, but still alive. More than a few times in the book, Juan seemed to be close to giving up. In Chapter 11, starting on page 92, it's obvious that he is fully ready for death. His readiness for death is mentioned again in Chapter 15, on page 131 and the top of 132. However, he perseveres, and eventually makes it across the ocean to the United States.

There might seem to be a couple points to be made that suggest that a theme of perseverance actually wasn't the author's main goal: after all, only one of the three men made it. Were they simply less lucky? That kind of sends a different message than, "If you persevere, you'll make it." But I still think that the main theme is perseverance: Andres simply did not attempt to make it all the way across, instead choosing to give his life to possibly improve his friends' chances of making it; Raul just has bad luck when he is killed by the shark. I think that it's obvious that the main theme of "The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera" is perseverance.

Burdette-Sapp Final Post

I think the main theme of The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera is being brave. Juan, Raul and Andres all had to be brave when they set out on their flimsy inner tube raft. They all knew that they may not make it but they went anyways. Andres showed his courage when he sacrificed his own life to save Juan and Raul from the patrol boat. Raul proved he was not a coward when he tried to fend off the shark and protect Juan. Juan may have not been able to show his heroism by protecting his friends but he did show he could persevere and not allow himself to expire while floating alone on the last inner tube. A character who was not on the raft and showed bravery was Alberto who, even when low on fuel, continued to circle Juan until he knew he was safe. Without all these character's bravery Juan may not have made it to Miami

Manza Final Post

To me, the ending of "The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera" was not very good. What we had was this great story and the ending just didn't feel right. Alberto may have died and Juan may have been rescued, but it was anticlimactic considering the story. And then Carmen and Juan telling Raul's brother that Raul was dead just didn't fit in to the story at all. There were these great scenes like Andres' death, the hurricane, and the shark attack that are amazing, and then you have this ending which was sort of not amazing, It was actually a little disappointing. If the rescue had been a bit bigger or if there had been a part of the rescue from Juan's point of view, not just an overhead view the entire time, then the ending would have been better. Not perfect, but better. It was still an okay ending, but it definitely has room for improvement. Overall, it was a very good book and I am glad I read it.

Schumacher Post 3

A theme in this story is inner demons. Juan struggles with his negrura through his whole life. Since right after the revolution, his negrura tells him to lie. Lie about his past, and lie about himself. He didn't tell anyone that he came from a rich family, that he had a spoiled childhood, or who his father was. In all those lies, he almost lost himself. But at the end, after such a long, painful journey in which he lost special people to him, Juan faces his negrura and sees colors, the colors of his true past, and he overcomes the inner demon, and stops the lies.

I think this is very important to all of our lives. We all have inner demons, alter egos, evil twins, and devils on our shoulders that have control of us. We do things we know we shouldn't because they say it's the right thing to do, and when we try to stop, they won't let us. They say it's what's best for us, and we'll be happy in the long run. But eventually, we all have to be strong, like Juan, and face the demons. We have to find our real courage and strength to overcome them and take back control of our own lives.

lane response 2

I agree with Bennett and Tommy. Bennett made and excellent point in his post about the threat the hurricane posses to Juan and his friends. I just skimmed over that in the book but reading it in Bennett's post made me realize how that was a hint about just how much destruction the hurricane cause and it really get's you wondering if and how they will manage to survive it when it finally comes their way.

Lane Response 1 to sarah's first response to catlin.

I agree with both of you about the hurricane being used to build suspense but sarah said that she was asking herself if someone was going to die or fall off the raft. I think that the tracking of the storm ketp us wondering when and how Rual was going to die not if. I think that everyone know his companions were going to die just from the title or the back of the book. Then after Raul didn't fall of the raft or drown during the hurricane it became even more suspenseful becasue you knew he had to die you just didn't know how or whe it would happen.

lane post 1

(Sorry this took so long)

I think that the author of The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera, J. Joaquin Fraxedas, tracks the pragress of the hurricane through the beginning of the story to let you know that it is getting closer and closer to Juan and Rual. You know something they don't know. The author is dropping hints all over the place that the other two men have to die. The book is, after all, titled the Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabera. You know that something bad has to happen to the other man because they already killed off Andres. The two men left on the raft are totally oblivious to the fact that Raul is going to die but just from the summary on the back of the book you can tell that Juan's compaions are going to die. you know something that the caracters don't. Tracking the hurricane only solidifies the readers belief that something dreadful is about to happen to Juan's final companion.

Sriram's post 4

I think that Paul had a good point about Juan's father. I do think that he was not willing to believe that his father was dead. Even after his mother had told him that he was dead. I think this is showing his love for his father. The fact that he had a dream about him again must had made him feel lonely on the raft to Florida.

Sriram's post 3

Weaver had a very good point about the dream. It does help the readers to get to know Juan better. It show the readers about his childhood. The fact that his father was taken away at a very young age does affect his adulthood. It was a very interesting way to express childhood.

FINAL POSTING

FINAL POST--TRY TO FINISH BY FRIDAY SO THAT YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND! MUST BE SUBMITTED BY MONDAY NIGHT.

QUESTION: SELECT ANY ONE THEME OF THE NOVEL AND EXPLAIN HOW THAT THEME IS EXPRESSED. REMEMBER THAT A THEME IS AN IDEA THAT THE READER CAN TAKE FROM THE NOVEL AND APPLY TO HIS/HER LIFE OR THE WORLD IN GENERAL.

Please choose only one theme and show how it appears in the events, actions, words, descriptions, emotions that the author has given us. There are no "wrong" answers, as long as you can make your case.

It's OK to choose the same theme as a previous poster IF your analysis is different.

Do your best--this posting counts double!

Have a great weekend.

Lenna,
That was a very insightful post. You really looked into it, and came up with a really interesting idea about the wind. I like how you brought the nature part of the dream to life.

Schumacher Response 4

To Chris:

I like your idea of Juan's dream actually representing death and life. His father, his childhood, and him thinking he will die soon. I hadn't thought of that, but I agree with you.

Schumacher Response 3

To Samantha:

I agree very strongly with you. I was also thinking that Juan was like the wind. And I also think that the wind could represent change as well, be it physical and emotional. I like you're sttement about him leaving is past too.

Wakeman Response 4

To Adam

I agree with what you said about Juan's dream taking him to a happier place. I liked the references you used from the book to make your point. I hadn't considered Juan's dream taking on that meaning until I read your post.

Wakeman Response 3

To Lenna

I agree with what your post said. It was a different and unique perspective on this topic. I like how you said green symbolizes life and that Juan was looking at the world from a child's perspective. Also the personification of the wind was a good observation. I learned a lot from your post and gained a lot of perspective.