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.