The Island Within

In “The Island Within,” one overarching theme is the concept of home. In the first six lines of the poem, the speaker describes the previous night at Behar’s house, complete with descriptions of the cold, the winter snow, “the frigid air” (Line 3) and the “bare oaks” (Line 3). The inhospitable environment emphasizes the contrast between the outdoors and the interior of a home. In Line 6, the speaker focuses on Behar’s house, describing “the pink gables of your Victorian home” (Line 6). Blanco chooses to describe the house as “Victorian” (Line 6), a building style in imitation of homes built during the reign of Queen Victoria in Britain. The reason this word choice and description is important is because it serves as a contrast for the lines to come when the speaker describes Behar’s Cuban upbringing and memories. The speaker introduces the question of the real meaning of home as Behar, within this uncharacteristic house, “[practices] / mambo by the fireplace” (Lines 8-9). The theme of home expands as the speaker watches Behar dance, taking her body to Cuba, “but not [her] life” (Line 12), as the snow falls outside, “1,600 miles / away from Cuba” (Lines 13-14).