A Place Where the Sea Remembers

Water represents purity, cleansing, and rebirth. It has an elemental power, like fire, earth, and air. When Remedios’s spirit is overburdened, she seeks out the ocean, for “Remedios’s duty is to come her for her own renewal” (104). Water is used in the ritual of baptism as a way of symbolically washing away sins. In many adult baptisms, the entire body is immersed in water, an acknowledgment of past transgressions and an acceptance of a new life in the church. But rebirth must be preceded by death, metaphorical or literal. Remedios dies a little with every story she hears, and murciélago, the bat, is “the totem for the ritualistic death all true healers must endure” (142). Richard’s literal death may be the sacrifice nature demands for the rebirth of Chayo and Marta’s relationship.

Santiago is a seaside town, and its residents are always aware of the presence of the sea. For César Burgos, the sea provides his livelihood. For Candelario Marroquin, the blue of the water represents purity and a fresh start. Characters gaze out at the sea’s vast expanse and see a brighter future on the horizon. Marta Rodriguez looks north to El Paso.