Isabel’s best friend. Iván is the son of Señor Castillo and Señora Castillo, and is Luis’s younger brother. Iván and his father are the ones who build the boat to go to Miami, but it is only with Isabel’s help that they are able to get the gasoline for the Fernandezes and Castillos to go. Iván is excited by the opportunity that the United States brings, but his dreams are never fulfilled, as he is attacked by sharks while swimming alongside the boat and dies a day before the reach Miami. Iván’s fate demonstrates the dangers of being a refugee, and how the government’s failure to help those like the Castillos and the Fernandezes can have dire consequences. His death also serves as another grief and trauma that Isabel undergoes, and which prompts her to have to grow up early.
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Iván Castillo Character Timeline in Refugee
The timeline below shows where the character Iván Castillo appears in Refugee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Isabel: Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994 (1)
Isabel’s next door neighbor Iván greets her, bringing over a dead fish he had found for the cat. He says...
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Isabel: Havana, Cuba – 1994
Just as the policeman rears back to hit Isabel, another policeman—Luis Castillo, Iván’s older brother—stops him. The policemen are then called away by a whistle, but the first...
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Isabel: Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994 (2)
Isabel runs next door to Iván and Señor Castillo. She sees the boat that they have been building out of metal...
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Isabel: Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994 (3)
Isabel, Iván, Señor Castillo, Señora Castillo, Geraldo, and Lito are carrying the boat to the beach, packed...
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...tells them to start the engine as Isabel is lifted into the boat. But then, Iván and Señora Castillo help lift the two policemen into the boat, and Isabel realizes that...
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Isabel: The Straits of Florida, Somewhere North of Cuba – 1994, 1 day from home (2)
...Castillo, Luis, and Amara try to figure out why the boat’s motor won’t start, while Iván and Isabel scoop water out of the bottom of the boat because the sock with...
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Lito talks to Isabel and Iván as they work, telling Isabel that he has a brother, Guillermo, who lives in the...
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Isabel: The Straits of Florida, Somewhere North of Cuba – 1994, 1 day from home (4)
...the surface. Isabel kicks hard, doing as much as she can to keep them afloat. Iván dives in after her, guiding the boat toward them. They then pull Isabel and Señor...
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Isabel: Somewhere on the Straits of Florida – 1994, 2 days from home
Isabel continues to bail water out of the boat, alongside Teresa, Geraldo, Lito, Luis, Iván, and Señora Castillo. They work feverishly, but the boat fills as quickly as they can...
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Isabel: Somewhere on the Caribbean Sea – 1994, 3 days from home
Suddenly, Iván spots land at the side of the boat. Luis is confused, because it’s on the...
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Isabel: Somewhere between the Bahamas and Florida – 1994, 4 days from home
...is almost to Isabel’s knees. They continue to scoop as much water as they can. Iván whines, asking when they’re going to get there. “Mañana,” Lito says. Lito then becomes lost...
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...Amara suggests that they drink some water, and the adults quickly apologize to each other. Iván agrees that they’re taking on too much water, and Geraldo suggests that a few of...
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Isabel: Somewhere between the Bahamas and Florida – 1994, 5 days from home (1)
...the west, and Luis turns the engine off because they can’t navigate without the sun. Iván, who is also floating in the water, asks when they will get to Miami. Señor...
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...But Teresa assures her that it could be a while before the baby is born. Iván asks what they’ll name the baby, but Teresa and Geraldo haven’t decided yet.
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Suddenly, Iván jumps while floating in the water, and Lito yells that there is a shark in...
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Isabel: Somewhere between the Bahamas and Florida – 1994, 5 days from home (2)
Isabel and Señora Castillo have been crying since Iván died of his shark bite hours earlier. Isabel doesn’t know how to grasp it. He...
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Lito says that they should do something with Iván’s body, and moves to set him in the water. Señora Castillo asks to say a...
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Isabel: Off the Coast of Florida – 1994, 5 days from home (1)
Isabel starts to cry upon seeing Miami, because Iván was so close to making it to the U.S. Suddenly, however, the boat starts to...
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Isabel: Miami, Florida – 1994, Home
...anthem. But instead of playing traditionally, she plays it offbeat like salsa. She plays for Iván, lost at sea, and for Lito, who was is in Cuba. She plays for her...
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