Lito/Mariano Padron Character Analysis in Refugee

Isabel’s grandfather and Teresa’s father. (“Lito” is short for abuelito, meaning “grandfather.”) Lito is skeptical of leaving Cuba, but Isabel convinces him to join the rest of the family on the boat to Miami in order to keep the family together and help Teresa as she prepares to give birth to a new baby boy. Lito often gets into fights with Geraldo, whom he believes is prioritizing himself over the rest of his family. At the end of the story, it is revealed that Lito was Mariano Padron, the Cuban officer who decades prior saved Josef’s father, Aaron, when he dove into the water. Lito is haunted by the fact that he told the Jewish passengers on board the St. Louis that they would be able to disembark and arrive in Cuba “mañana,” but never let them in. He turned Josef and the others away and sent them back to Europe (many of them to their deaths), despite the fact that he could have let them in to Cuba. Driven by this guilt, Lito saves Isabel and the others at the end of the book by jumping off of their boat and pretending to drown so that the Coast Guard boat that is following them becomes distracted. He is then deported back to Cuba. Lito’s story highlights the importance of empathy, as he realizes that he had a responsibility to save the Jewish people on the St. Louis but chose to ignore their plight.

Lito/Mariano Padron Quotes in Refugee

The Refugee quotes below are all either spoken by Lito/Mariano Padron or refer to Lito/Mariano Padron. 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:

Isabel was listening for the clave underneath the music, the mysterious hidden beat inside Cuban music that everybody seemed to hear except her. An irregular rhythm that lay over the top of the regular beat, like a heartbeat beneath the skin. Try as she might, she had never heard it, never felt it. She listened now, intently, trying to hear the heartbeat of Cuba in her own music.

Related Characters: Geraldo Fernandez, Lito/Mariano Padron, Isabel Fernandez

Related Symbols: Isabel’s Trumpet

Page Number and Citation: 11

Explanation and Analysis:

At the beginning of Isabel’s story, she accompanies her father, Geraldo, and her grandfather, Lito, into Havana to wait in line for food. She brings her trumpet, her most prized possession, to play on the street corner, and laments the fact that she still can’t hear the Cuban clave rhythm, which she explains here. Isabel’s frustration with not being able to hear the clave becomes a central tension in the book when she and her family flee Cuba to go to Miami. Isabel’s trumpet, and music in general, serve as stand-ins for Isabel’s connection to her heritage, because it is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qu

She had never been able to count clave, but she had always assumed it would come to her eventually. That the rhythm of her homeland would one day whisper its secrets to her soul. But would she ever hear it now? Like trading her trumpet, had she swapped the one thing that was really hers—her music—for the chance to keep her family together?

Related Characters: Lito/Mariano Padron, Isabel Fernandez

Related Symbols: Boats, Water, Isabel’s Trumpet

Page Number and Citation: 102

Explanation and Analysis:

As water seep into the Fernandezes and Castillo’s boat, Lito becomes frustrated, feeling that they are doomed to sink and that they should have stayed in Cuba. He argues that Isabel will become too separated from her roots, and that she will never learn to count clave in Miami. This touches on a fear that Isabel herself has. Her music, as represented by her trumpet, is the largest means by which Isabel engages in her Cuban heritage. In trading her trumpet away for gasoline for their boat, she demonstrated that she was willing to prioritize her family and their future Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Vo

“I wish from the bottom of my heart that you will land soon, Little Man,” Officer Padron said again. “I’m sorry. I’m just doing my job.”

Josef looked deep into Officer Padron’s eyes, searching for some sign of help, some hint of sympathy. Officer Padron just looked away.

Related Characters: Lito/Mariano Padron (speaker), Josef Landau, Aaron Landau, Mahmoud Bishara

Page Number and Citation: 221

Explanation and Analysis:

When the St. Louis is set to leave Cuba, Josef asks Officer Padron, a Cuban official, what will happen to his father. When Padron explains that Aaron isn’t well enough to come back to the ship, but that Josef, Rachel, and Ruthie can’t join him in Havana, Josef is shocked. Even though this isn’t an overt act of cruelty, the course of the rest of the novel shows the injustice of Padron’s actions in sending the Jewish passengers back to Europe. Many of them, including Josef and Rachel, are eventually killed by the Nazis—an outcome that could have been avoided Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus

“Don’t you see?” Lito said. “The Jewish people on the ship were seeking asylum, just like us. They needed a place to hide from Hitler. From the Nazis. Mañana, we told them. We’ll let you in mañana. But we never did.” Lito was crying now, distraught. “We sent them back to Europe and Hitler and the Holocaust. Back to their deaths. How many of them died because we turned them away? Because I was just doing my job?”

Related Characters: Lito/Mariano Padron (speaker), Rachel Landau, Ruthie Landau/Rosenberg, Aaron Landau, Mahmoud Bishara, Josef Landau, Isabel Fernandez

Related Symbols: Boats

Page Number and Citation: 276

Explanation and Analysis:

Just as Isabel and the rest of the refugees on the boat are racing a Coast Guard boat to Miami’s shore, Lito shares the confession that he was the Cuban official who saved Aaron Landau, and who turned away the rest of the St. Louis passengers and sent them back to Europe. By tying together Isabel and Josef’s storylines in this way, Gratz makes another point about the importance of treating refugees with empathy and respect. Josef and Rachel were sent back to their deaths in Europe, and Lito was complicit in the decision that caused this outcome. Additionally, by Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta.

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:

One month after Isabel arrives in Miami, she tries out for her new school’s band with a new trumpet gifted to her by her uncle Guillermo. She plays the U.S. national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” but plays it with a salsa rhythm. As she plays and her new classmates clap along, she realizes that she can hear a second rhythm—that she can finally count clave. This is the culmination of what had been a major worry for Isabel, who thought that she would never be able to connect to her cultural heritage (represented by her ability to count clave) Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi

He was filled with sadness for the boy his age. The boy who had died so Ruthie could live. But Mahmoud was also filled with gratitude. Josef had died so Ruthie could live, and one day welcome Mahmoud and his family into her house.

Related Characters: Josef Landau, Lito/Mariano Padron, Ruthie Landau/Rosenberg, Mahmoud Bishara

Page Number and Citation: 316

Explanation and Analysis:

After Ruthie tells Mahmoud the details of her journey and Josef’s choice, Mahmoud contemplates how these decisions have also affected his life and survival, too. Mahmoud recognizes that Josef’s sacrifices allowed not only his sister to live, but for her descendants to continue on and for Mahmoud’s family to have a temporary home in Germany—the place where Josef’s own sense of home was stripped from him as a child. Even though Mahmoud and Ruthie’s cultures are very different, being welcomed into her house as though they are family is what allows him to feel a sense of home and belonging. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus

Lito/Mariano Padron Character Timeline in Refugee

The timeline below shows where the character Lito/Mariano Padron appears in Refugee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Family, Displacement, and Culture Theme Icon

Isabel notices Geraldo and her grandfather, whom she calls Lito, heading down the road to stand in line for food. She retrieves her trumpet so... (full context)

...in the street, and people chanting against Castro. Isabel goes to search for Geraldo and Lito. She knows that if her father is caught by the police, he’d be sent back... (full context)

Isabel, Geraldo, and Lito return to their home following the riots. Isabel’s mother, Teresa, is pregnant and due to... (full context)

Lito tells Geraldo that he should just lie low for a while because of the danger... (full context)

Geraldo and Lito start to fight until Isabel proposes that the whole family travel to the U.S. Lito... (full context)

Isabel, Iván, Señor Castillo, Señora Castillo, Geraldo, and Lito are carrying the boat to the beach, packed with water, food, and medicine. Teresa walks... (full context)

Lito asks Isabel to play a song for them. Isabel explains that she had to trade... (full context)

Lito talks to Isabel and Iván as they work, telling Isabel that he has a brother,... (full context)

Lito says that they should have waited to leave Cuba, but Isabel is adamant that Geraldo... (full context)

Isabel worries about what Lito said—she has never been able to count clave, but always assumed it would come to... (full context)

Injustice and Cruelty vs. Empathy and Social Responsibility Theme Icon

Geraldo and Lito continue to get the water out of the bottom of the boat. They quickly realize... (full context)

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... (full context)

...her grandmother. Isabel had been nine years old, and she was staying with Lita and Lito while her parents were fighting. A giant cyclone came, which Castro and the government had... (full context)

...to a very hot sun, and sees that Teresa has become sick with a fever. Lito and Señora Castillo try to help keep Teresa cool. Geraldo and Luis are able to... (full context)

...a few black men in uniforms come over to them, one of whom speaks Spanish. Lito tells the man they are from Cuba, and the man says that they are in... (full context)

Lito protests, saying that they have a sick pregnant woman on board. The officer says that... (full context)

The ships sirens start to blow. One of the Cuban policemen (Mariano Padron) dives into the water and swims out to Aaron. A woman screams as she notices... (full context)

Padron is able to get Aaron back to one of the small boats, where two other... (full context)

...much water as they can. Iván whines, asking when they’re going to get there. “Mañana,” Lito says. Lito then becomes lost in thought, and he explains to Isabel that he just... (full context)

One of the police boats pulls up to the St. Louis, carrying Mariano Padron, the officer who had saved Aaron. The passengers greet and cheer him as he boards,... (full context)

Josef, Rachel, and Ruthie go to talk to Padron. Rachel asks how Aaron is. Padron says through an interpreter that Aaron is alive, but... (full context)

After letting Ruthie catch him, Padron turns to Josef and says that it’s his turn. Josef tries to wave him off,... (full context)

Suddenly, Iván jumps while floating in the water, and Lito yells that there is a shark in the water. Isabel scrambles into the boat, and... (full context)

...Dr. Aber, who already lives in Cuba. He greets his daughters warmly, and with Officer Padron’s permission, carries the two girls to the ship’s ladder and leaves with them. The other... (full context)

...ship’s engines start to rumble, and the crowd tries to rush toward the ladder. Officer Padron draws his pistol, and other officers do the same. The situation is about to boil... (full context)

Josef then asks Officer Padron what will happen to his father. Padron explains that Aaron isn’t well enough to come... (full context)

Lito says that they should do something with Iván’s body, and moves to set him in... (full context)

...get it off of the boat and into the water, lessening some of the weight. Lito wonders whether they should row to shore or try to swim the rest of the... (full context)

...continue to paddle, getting closer and closer to shore. As the Coast Guard ship approaches, Lito confesses that when he was a young man, there was ship full of Jewish people... (full context)

Lito continues, telling them that he kept waiting for things to get better in Cuba all... (full context)

...into the world while Señora Castillo talks her through it. The Coast Guard picks up Lito and then turns back toward them. Amara dives into the water to swim the rest... (full context)

...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 parents, who had left their homeland,... (full context)

Lito/Mariano Padron Character Analysis

Lito/Mariano Padron Quotes in Refugee

Isabel: Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994 (1) Quotes

Isabel: Straits of Florida – 1994, 1 day (2) Quotes

Josef: Havana Harbor – 1939, 21 days Quotes

Isabel: Coast of Florida – 1994, 5 days (3) Quotes

Isabel: Miami, Florida – 1994, Home Quotes

Mahmoud: Berlin Germany – 2015, Home Quotes

Lito/Mariano Padron Character Timeline in Refugee