Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Clap When You Land, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family
Secrets
Grief
Money, Security, and Immigration
Growing Up and Sexual Violence
Summary
Analysis
Papi’s fingers were stubby, and the tip of one was missing. He lost it when his machete slipped while he was cutting a mango for Camino, and the spot where his fingernail used to be is dark brown like his chess pieces. (He tried to teach Camino to play chess, but she wanted to involve her Barbies.) Papi never tried to hide his missing fingertip as he smoked cigars and waved his gold rings around. He took up so much room. But now, it’s like he took all the air with him when he got on that flight.
Unlike Yahaira, Camino is willing to talk about Papi in the past tense—she’s willing to accept that he’s gone. Still, his absence is very painful if he took all the air with him when he died. The note that Papi tried to teach Camino chess is interesting and might suggest that Camino’s father and Yahaira’s father are the same person.
Themes
When the news announces that there were no survivors on the crashed flight, Camino and Tía cling to each other. Soon, neighbors stream into the house to say the rosary. Later, Tía will go to the backyard and, using cowrie shells, divine from the Saints what she and Camino should do next. The Saints, after all, know about people dying as they try to cross the Atlantic. Faith gives Camino and Tía something to hold onto, and deities to ask to bring Papi home.
Once news gets out that Papi is definitely deceased, the community comes out of the woodwork to grieve together and support Camino and Tía. Noting that the Saints know about people dying during Atlantic crossings implies that Tía’s religion is likely one that developed among enslaved people in the Caribbean; these systems often combined elements of Catholicism and West African religions. Importantly, though, faith helps Camino make sense of what’s going on and offers her a place to channel her grief.
Themes
According to Tía, Mamá and Papi grew up together in this neighborhood. But they didn’t reconnect until they were older. One day, Papi approached Mamá and one of her friends on the boardwalk. The friend stuck out her hand and was clearly taken with Papi, but according to Mamá, she knew in that moment that she herself would be the love of Papi’s life.
Camino’s story of Papi approaching Mamá is suspiciously similar to Yahaira’s story of how her parents met: Papi approached two women on the boardwalk. This creates tension and intrigue—especially since, if Papi is the same person, both women insist that he was the love of their life.
Themes
On the day that Mamá contracted the fever, Tía was visiting other sick people. Camino was home alone with Mamá, wiping her forehead and praying. As soon as she got home, Tía called Papi for help so they could get Mamá to a hospital. But Mamá didn’t want to go and wouldn’t let Don Mateo drive her, since she didn’t want to get him sick. In the end, Papi’s money arrived too late to help: Mamá died only two days later. It’s been almost a decade since Mamá’s death, but Camino still doesn’t talk about it.
As Camino describes the final days of Mamá’s life, Mamá reads as selfless and focused mostly on ensuring others’ safety. This may have also influenced Camino’s desire to be a doctor and serve others. The note that Camino doesn’t talk about her mother’s death, though, shows that she keeps her sadness inside—and perhaps doesn’t process it.
Themes
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Tía had always lived with Camino and Mamá, and now, she tries her best to be the best mother to Camino. And Camino has always thought of Tía as “the other / mother of [her] heart.” Between living with Tía and Papi’s phone calls and visits, Camino has never felt like an orphan. But today, at almost 17 years old, Camino feels like an orphan. Both she and Tía know that without Papi’s help, life as they know it is over.
Camino has always been surrounded by people who love and support her, first Mamá and then Tía (and Papi when he’s in the country). What allowed Camino to feel so secure even without a biological parent present all the time, though, was Papi’s financial help. Tía’s support is great, Camino acknowledges, but it doesn’t remedy the fact that they’re both in trouble without Papi’s financial support.
Themes
Carline texts Camino from work. Worried for her friend, Carline shows up after work, swollen and looking exhausted. She explains that the manager made her work hard and the baby kept her up all night. Papi helped get Carline this job six months ago, when she found out she was pregnant and dropped out of school. She can’t cut her hours as money is tight for her family. Nelson, her boyfriend, takes night classes and works two jobs.
Describing Carline and her family’s financial situation right after describing Camino’s highlights that for now, Camino and Tía are doing pretty well compared to other people. Again though, this is thanks to Papi’s support. The note that Papi helped Carline get this job shows how important of a figure Papi was in the neighborhood community: he helped everyone.
Themes
Tía serves Carline dinner. Afterward, Camino braids Carline’s hair. A year ago, they would’ve whispered about boys and the future. But now, both girls are just trying to survive in the moment. And though Carline came to comfort Camino, Camino is the one to tuck Carline in when Carline falls asleep. Camino “parents” Carline before Carline becomes a parent herself—and Camino remembers that she is an orphan.
Camino prides herself on being self-sufficient, which is why she sidesteps Carline’s attempts to offer comfort and ends up comforting and “parent[ing]” Carline instead. Both girls’ circumstances, though, force them to grow up far too quickly, Carline as she becomes a teen mom and Camino as she faces life without Papi’s money or protection.
Themes
Ten Days After. Camino goes to school like nothing happened. School observes a moment of silence once, as most everyone there knows that Camino had a dad in the U.S. who sent money. Camino has always stuck out at school, since she doesn’t live with both parents and her parents aren’t diplomats or factory owners. Instead, Camino is “American-adjacent,” with a dad who could pay tuition but not contribute to the fundraisers or buy Camino a car for Christmas. Sometimes, Camino even had to bug him to pay her tuition on time. Now, Camino sits quietly in class and does her homework on the bus and late at night. She pretends Papi dying doesn’t change anything—though it's far from certain that she’ll return in the fall. Her dreams seem to be slipping away.
Since Camino is trying so hard to act like nothing is wrong, it’s no doubt uncomfortable when the school observes a moment of silence for Papi. It only draws attention to the fact that Camino isn’t like her classmates due to her financial situation and her lack of American citizenship. This is what Camino means when she describes herself as “American-adjacent”: she goes to an American international school, but she herself isn't American. She also reiterates that Papi wasn’t always reliable with his money, and she’s always stressed about having enough, or whether he’d actually continue paying for her school.
Themes
Most of Camino’s relatives are dead. All she has are Tía and Papi’s brother in New York. So there’s no one to live with or help Camino. When the guidance counselor calls Camino in to ask if she’s doing okay, Camino asks what will happen if her family can’t pay tuition. The counselor explains that Camino missed the deadline to apply to scholarships, but the school will figure things out and, in the worst-case scenario, admit Camino next spring. This will delay graduation and Camino’s college timeline—and will mean that Camino lives in the Dominican Republic longer than she planned to.
Bureaucracy and the loss of Papi’s money are already causing problems for Camino: the school isn’t willing to make exceptions to help her stay in school on a scholarship. This is devastating news for Camino, who has dreamed for some time of immigrating to the U.S. to attend college and study to be a doctor. Losing this dream at the same time as she loses her father compounds Camino’s grief and her sense that she’s entirely out of control.
Themes
When Carline has a day off, she insists she needs fresh air and drags Camino to a small touristy strip mall. Camino knows Carline really just wants to get Camino out of the house. The girls window shop until Camino, noticing how fatigued Carline is, steers her friend into an ice cream shop. Camino only has a bit of money, but they need ice cream. However, the lady at the counter sees Carline and Camino and, winking, gives them ice cream (with extra sprinkles) for free. The gesture makes Camino want to cry. Everyone here is so kind; how can Camino ever think about leaving?
Camino in no way hates the Dominican Republic, even though she wants to leave the country. In fact, she clearly loves the people and the general culture of people being so willing to help each other—a culture she fears she won’t find in the U.S. This highlights the difficult spot Camino is in, as she has a choice to make: figure out how to leave the country for a better life, or make do with people’s random kindnesses here and hope that’s enough to get by.
Themes
As Carline and Camino walk home arm in arm, their fingers sticky from ice cream, Camino feels like they’re six again and dreaming about their futures. Papi put Camino in the International School after Mamá died, but she and Carline stayed friends outside of school. They’ve spent so much time together that they can understand a lot from each other’s silences. For instance, Camino knows Carline is thinking that she’s afraid to have a baby and hates her job, where she has to put up with her boss’s sexual harassment. Camino commiserates silently with Carline and asks where they can go that they’ll be safe. Inwardly, Camino tells her worries to leave her and Carline alone. They’ll be fine, and they’ll survive.
The free ice cream offers Camino a brief respite from her troubles—an adult is taking care of her in a way that few do anymore. Still, everything has changed for Camino: she and Carline aren’t kids anymore, and they’re both facing major struggles currently and in the near future. It’s interesting, though, that Camino silently asks where she and Carline can go to be safe. This implies that as wonderful as the Dominican Republic is, ideally, both Camino and Carline would leave and find safety and a better life elsewhere.
Themes
