Celia Del Pino Character Analysis

Celia del Pino, the matriarch to a less than fortunate family, was a tormented child and deranged adult. Her decent into insanity seemed to come faster during the early years of her children’s lives. Lourdes, the eldest daughter of Celia, grew disdainful of her mother for her mother’s apparent hated of her. Thankfully, their family’s saving grace came in its third generation. Pilar Puente del Pino is a rebellious, strong headed, self assured girl who is finally able to distance herself from her family’s lunacy. The woman of the Del Pino Family from Christina Garcia’s Dreaming in Cuban continue to make their children learn and thrive from their misfortunes.
Celia was tormented by the scaring memories of a harsh past, even with many tragedies …show more content…
Lourdes Puente left Cuba when her daughter Pilar was 2 years old in order to get away from the sickness of her family and of the Island of Cuba. Lourdes’ memories of Cuba were overwhelmingly tragic. As a baby Celia dangled Lourdes out of a window by her ankle in an attempt to kill her. This was far from the worst tragedy she underwent though. “When he finished, the soldier lifted the knife and began to scratch at Lourdes’ belly with great concentration. A primeval scraping. Crimson hieroglyphics. The pain brought a flood of color back to Lourdes’ eyes.” (P. 73) Pilar was raped and tortured by this soldier of an army she was meant to trust in. Her distrust for the army quickly became her hatred of the revolution, of Cuba, and of her revolution-seeking mother. This distrust and hate for Cuba grew until she could no longer live on the island and moved north, with her child and husband, to New York. In the city Lourdes became a baker with a sweet tooth and a sexual deviant. Although she had believed all her troubles were behind her in Cuba, her familial ties were still alive and strong in her heart. “Lourdes sends her snapshot of pastries from her bakery in Brooklyn. Each glistening éclair is a grenade aimed at Celia’s political beliefs, each strawberry shortcake proof- in butter, cream and eggs- of Loudes’ success in America, and a reminder of the ongoing shortages in Cuba.” (P.117) This longing and compassion for Cuba was persistent in the back of her mind. It went on until after her father’s death when the vision of her father made her realize she could no longer ignore her roots. "Lourdes is herself only with her father. Even after his death, they understand each other perfectly, as they always have...He is proud of his daughter, of her tough stance on law and order, identical to his own." (Pgs. 131-132) Lourdes’ stint as an officer of the NYPD was