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.