Refugee

Refugee

by Alan Gratz

Guillermo Character Analysis

Isabel’s great-uncle and Lito’s brother. Guillermo had left Cuba in the 1970s and resettled in the United States. When Isabel arrives in Miami, Guillermo underscores the idea that family will enable Isabel to retain her Cuban roots. Guillermo gifts her a new trumpet, and with this new instrument Isabel is able to learn the Cuban clave rhythm.

Guillermo Quotes in Refugee

The Refugee quotes below are all either spoken by Guillermo or refer to Guillermo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Trauma and Coming of Age Theme Icon
).

Isabel: Miami, Florida – 1994, Home Quotes

She was finally counting clave.

Lito was wrong. She didn’t have to be in Havana to hear it. To feel it. She had brought Cuba with her to Miami.

Related Characters: Guillermo, Isabel Fernandez, Lito/Mariano Padron
Related Symbols: Isabel’s Trumpet
Page Number and Citation: 308
Explanation and Analysis:
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Guillermo Character Timeline in Refugee

The timeline below shows where the character Guillermo appears in Refugee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Isabel: The Straits of Florida, Somewhere North of Cuba – 1994, 1 day from home (2)
Hope vs. Despair Theme Icon
Family, Displacement, and Culture Theme Icon
...talks to Isabel and Iván as they work, telling Isabel that he has a brother, Guillermo, who lives in the United States. In the 1970s, the U.S. airlifted political dissidents from... (full context)
Isabel: Miami, Florida – 1994, Home
Injustice and Cruelty vs. Empathy and Social Responsibility Theme Icon
Family, Displacement, and Culture Theme Icon
...her classroom in Miami with a trumpet in her hand: a gift from her uncle Guillermo. She is auditioning for the orchestra, less than a month after arriving in Miami. After... (full context)