Sandra Benítez's A Place Where The Sea Remembers

Sandra Benítez's novel, A Place Where the Sea Remembers, incorporates many different themes throughout the story. One theme that has been able to connect every little detail would be the sense of community. Since the novel is placed in Santiago, Mexico, a small and very closely grouped community, the theme of community only makes sense. The novel in a whole shows growth between the people of Santiago and at the center of this growth is Remedios, la curandera, which translates to healer. As an older woman, she uses the elements to help the people and also uses the elements to point people into the right direction. Remedios is the community tie that everyone in Santiago goes to for help. Remedios uses her communication with the elements of earth, air, fire, and water to learn what the world holds. In another sense she is the one who binds the community together. She is stated as being the one, as Benítez writes a chant that Remedios is repeating in a timing rhythm: …show more content…
I am bone woman. I am bird woman. I am she-woman. He-woman. I am moon woman. Sun-woman. I am she who weeps. She who bleeds. I am she who speaks. I am the woman who cries out. I am the silent woman. I am earth woman. Fire woman. I am water woman. Air woman. I am she who keeps. She who holds. I am she who heals. Soy Remedios, la curendera. I am she who knows. Soy la que sabe. (Benítez 23)
As stated from the following quote, it has been made evident that Remedios can be identified as the one in many different ways, either as the town of Santiago's healer or as the towns counselor. While the story follows the life of multiple different characters, Remedios is a part all introduced character's lives. The literary form of repetition is used to help author Sandra Benítez get her point that Remedios is the one who will create a sense of