When We Left Cuba

Havana is where the Perez girls grew up, but in the novel it takes on the weight and symbolism of a lost paradise, underlining the theme of Exile and the Longing for Home. Havana is the homeland from which Beatriz is exiled and the luxurious life she has been deprived of by the Cuban Revolution. The Tropicana to which she and Eduardo refer was a famous nightclub, a combination of cabaret and casino known for its celebrity guests, beautiful showgirls, and free-wheeling celebration of pleasure, luxury, and wealth. It enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s but was shut down by the revolution. Beatriz also thinks of Havana in terms of the five-mile long Malecón, a seawall, roadway, and esplanade stretching along Havana Harbor. Many of the buildings are now considered of historical value as well as great romantic appeal, possessing the character of the country before the changes brought about by Castro’s governance. This is the Havana that holds such a symbolic power in Beatriz’s mind, and her desire to reclaim it is one of her chief motivations for getting involved with the CIA.