The ocean and the water symbolize the refugees’ despair. All three of the protagonists take journeys over the water, and for each of them the water represents a faltering in hope as they worry that they will not be able to survive. In Josef’s story, his father, Aaron, chooses to commit suicide by jumping overboard and drowning because he has lost all hope in life and believes that this is a better alternative than being sent back to Germany. Thus, water represents the futility of continuing on in the midst of hardship. For Isabel, a hole in her and her family’s boat leads to a leak and they are forced to constantly bail water out of it in order to literally stay afloat. As the water continues to fill the boat, they become more and more afraid that they will not be able to make it to Miami. Mahmoud is thrown from a dinghy on the way from Turkey to Greece, forcing him to tread water for hours, not knowing whether someone will be able to rescue him. Many times during this episode, he and his family consider giving up, demonstrating how the water both reflects their despair in being stranded and adds to it, in that they have trouble fighting against the current and deliberate letting themselves drown. This is in direct opposition to the boats in the story, which represent hope even in the midst of despair and the opportunity for a new life.
Water Quotes in Refugee
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?
“Please!” Mahmoud cried. He sobbed with the effort of fighting off the man’s fingers and hanging onto the dinghy. “Please, take us with you!”
“No! No room!”
“At least take my sister!” Mahmoud begged. “She’s a baby. She won’t take up any room!”
Water Symbol Timeline in Refugee
