Theme Of Tragedy In The Unknown American

Life is filled with love and happiness, but every so often tragedy strikes. Tragedy can cease happiness to those affected, and it can completely alter one’s life as they know it. Tragedy can come in many forms such as death, sickness and natural disaster. In the novel The Unknown Americans Cristina Henriquez uses the characterization of Alma and Arturo to highlight the struggles a relationship can suffer after tragedy. In their case, their daughter suffered a life changing brain injury, and as Alma believes the accident was her fault, she feels like she needs to renew herself to her husband. She focuses on trying to gain forgiveness throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Alma feels heavy guilt , and she believes Maribels accident …show more content…
As Alma packs to prepare for her journey back to Patzcuaro, she reminisces through Arturo’s clothes and items that are left in their apartment. As she remembers Arturo through memories and the clothes he wore “[She] learned something about grief. [She] had heard people say that when someone dies, it leaves a hole in the world. But it doesn’t, [she] realized. Arturo was still everywhere” (Henriquez 274). After her husband’s death, Alma realizes that griefing will not help to regain happiness, rather accepting the fact that it happened and remembering him in her memories. This can be tied to Maribels accident, because if Alma realized sooner that Maribels accident was not her fault, she could put less focus on gaining forgiveness and she could appreciate her love with Arturo more in the moment, while she had him. While on the road, being driven through virginia, Maribel becomes car sick and vomits on the side of the road. Maribel asks if any of the vomit got in her hair, and seemingly out of nowhere tells Alma that she wants to cut it and get it dyed purple. At this point, Alma “Looked at her [and] saw that maybe she had been here all along… [Her] Maribel, brave and impetuous and kind. All this time [she] had been buried under [her] guilt to see [Maribel]. [She] had been …show more content…
After her relationship with her husband struggles through her guilt of her daughter 's accident, they forgot to realize that they still had each other in the moment. Sooner than later, tragedy struck once again to Alma. But with all this tragedy Alam was able to realize that griefing will not help to regain happiness or forgiveness. In life, we can not absorb ourselves in grief, because that would only leave one in the past. To regain happiness, to regain relationships with their close one’s and themselves, they must live in the present. One must be able to appreciate what they have in that very moment, to be able to feel at