Before We Were Free

Chucha provides a stark counterpoint to the routine Catholicism of Anita’s family, and is a consistent reminder of the possibility of magic. She sleeps in a coffin, to be closer to the next world. But for Chucha, this is sensible, not morbid. She speaks in omens, riddles, and portents, and treats dreams as if they contain literal truths. But as the events of the novel unfold, Chucha’s predictions come true more frequently than those of the revolutionaries, raising the question of whether her powers and visions might actually be genuine. 

Anita’s thoughts are often as scattered as those of any child her age, but with the added tension of the violence that looms over her family’s life. Writing in her diary helps her organize her thoughts and shows her where her thinking is unclear at times. Mami encourages her to write in order to leave a record for those who come after them, should the revolution fail. But ultimately, Anita’s diary is a record of her own intellectual awakening. During the interlude comprising her diary pages, Anita is shown to be maturing in her thinking even in that short span. The diary also represents the dangers of independent thought in an authoritarian system because such thought must be hidden, given that it is an act of nonconformity. 

Flying appears in many permutations in Before We Were Free, but it is always presented as a symbol of independence. Characters escape by plane. Butterflies fly away from trouble. Anita describes writing in her journal as making her feel like an uncaged bird. A flying creature, unless it is captured and held, can escape from any situation the moment it chooses.