Wow, what a spunky young lady Carol is despite the difficult times she faces. Her father has been away for sometime serving in the military fighting in WWII with the Allies. When her mother is diagnosed with a terminal disease, she decides to return to her homeland to spend her final days with family and friends. She makes arrangements for Carol to live with her Aunt and Uncle after her death. Carol has grown up in New York and is accustomed to the American way of life. When she moves to Spain she is thrust into a culture rich in tradition and a family which is politically divided. Her cold climate culture personality serves her well while adjusting to her new life in Spain. She is a very independent young lady. When Tomiche picks on her and takes her hat, she doesn't take it lying down. She is unphased by his bullying and challenges his to fight...and wins when she kicks him in the "knackers". Oddly enough that earned her his respect and eventually his friendship and love. After her mothers death, she manages, through her impressive powers of persuasion, to get her grandfather to promise not to tell her father about her mother's death. She obviously is very close to her father and doesn't want to worry him and distracted him from the job he is doing. She even goes so far as to talk Maruja into writing letter to her father, as if they were from her mother. When she goes to live with her Aunt and Uncle, her independence and rebellious side cause problems between she and her strict Aunt. She manages to talk her grandfather into moving back into his home and letting her live with him. She respects her families Catholic traditions, even though she hasn't been raised in the Catholic faith, and agrees to her First Communion to make her Aunt happy. But, of course she only agrees with one condition, that she wear a sailor suit rather than a dress. She definitely has the fighting spirit of the Hispanic woman. At such a young age, she suffered many losses...her mother to a terminal disease, Tomiche to a gunshot trying to help her father escape capture by the Franco regime, and her father when he is eventually captured. Thank heavens she has her grandfather to lean on. I am sorry we missed the end of the movie, I'd like to know if Carol and her father were eventually reunited.
Gail Krisko
Hi Gail
ReplyDeleteCarol was certainly an independent, spunky young lady. I agree with you that her cold climate culture helped her survive in her new environment. For a twelve year old, she certainly knew what she wanted and was not afraid to speak her mind. Carol must have a been a “tomboy” in New York with her short hair cut and refusal to wear a dress at the First Communion. Combined with the cold climate personality and the fighting spirit of Hispanic women, she has already become a self-assertive individual which will be to her advantage in the future, hopefully helping her overcome some of the tragedies she has already endured.
I too would have liked to have seen the end of the movie. We will never know if Carol was reunited with her father or how she dealt with the death of Tomiche. It is a scene she will never forget, as she watches her friend shot by the Franco regime.
Joan Vater