Nobody else noticed, but Isabel did. A woman in a bikini lifted her black sunglasses and pointed at them, and the man with her sat up and stared. I know, he said. Not until the newspapers and radio talked about them as subhuman monsters. Its time you had your head shaved again, he told Josefs father. The passengers clothes looked shabby, and it was only when he heard his father tearing his shirt that Josef understoodripping your garments was a Jewish tradition at funerals, and they had torn theirs in sympathy with Mrs. Weiler. Im not going to change the speed now, because weve got the engines set right where we want them. Josef noticed both handles were set to AHEAD FULL. One of the street lamps flickered, giving the street an ominous energy. They had spent two long days in cars and buses, trying to get here on time for the boat Dad had hired to take them across the sea to Greece. Lito? Isabel asked. They finally found the doorway of a travel agency set back from the street, and no one else was sleeping there. The pier had a little caf on it with tables and chairs. She wanted her mother to get better, but she didnt want them to be sent back to Cuba. No! Papi yelled. The elevator to A-deck arrived, and Mrs. Weiler emerged first, a candle in hand. Thank you! He wished there was some way he could get out of this, some way he could keep these men away from his mother and father. He danced with his mother while Ruthie, Renata, and Evelyne ran in and out between peoples legs all evening long. Refugee Isabel: Off the Coast of Florida - LitCharts Or run out of gas. Betrayed him. When Josef had scared his father to get him to straighten up. He was almost a man. If anyone knew his father was unwell, hed be barred from entering Cuba. The captain, Schiendick said, his voice dripping with disapproval. From down the hall came the sound of men singing, and Petty Officer Jockl slowed. Description: Refugee. If he stopped, he and his mother and sister would drown. The shortest of the three men in fancy uniforms strode over to the group with a big smile on his face. All the other refugees who had been turned away from the hotels were there, some sleeping on benches in the rain, others lucky enough to have tentstents that looked like they had been there for more than a day or two. I can barely move in this heat! Josef spun around helplessly. But you do," Lito said. They were blocking the only way off the ship. Not the father Josef knew and remembered. Just the Greek island of Lesbos, about a hundred kilometers away. Something skittered away in the darkness when they went inside. Josef panicked. This off-and-on-again business was tearing them apart. Not alive with fishalive like the ocean was a living creature itself. Mahmoud kicked. Well find someplace else to stay. Read the Text Version. An eleven-year-old girl from Havana, Cuba, and one of the protagonists of the book. Josefs skin crawled, and he and the other kids looked at each other nervously. Wheres the box with the medicine in it? Luis asked. Isabel woke to a warm orange glow on the horizon and a silver sea stretching out before them like a mirror. What does Isabel's Mark symbolize? He cant say. Ruthie, Josef was glad to see, was still up at the pool. We should have waited. But they were going to arrest Papi, said Isabel. Standard procedure. Josef made sure he was on deck when the first boat from the Havana Port Authority reached the St. Louis. Isabels mother leaned over the side of the boat and threw up into the sea. Her hand struck something in the dark water, and Isabel recoiled until she realized it was Seor Castillo. Only he wasnt a fish. He wasnt dreaming! Ruthie and Evelyne hadnt been interested, but Renata was there, along with a few of the other older kids. Turks will take us back to Turkey, but Greeks will take us to Lesbos! Mahmoud didnt know how anybody could see anything in the dark, cloud-covered night. The situation was explained to the tourists on the pier, and they gasped and waited. The rumble of the ships massive engines had awakened Mami and Seora Castillo, and everyone was scrambling around in the boat in a panic, making it rock dangerously. Josef stared at his father. Theyd made it. Josef pulled on his own collar until the seam ripped. The boy led them away from the coast, to a neighborhood where weeds grew up through the cobblestones, and the houses had metal grates on the windows instead of flower boxes. We made it! Isabel said, shaking Ivns arms. If it wasnt a proper medical inspection, what had it all been for? Mama looked frightened as she tried to figure out what to do. He couldnt lose any of them. And then well be in Cuba. Children pay full price, including babies, he told Mahmouds father. Ill tell him the draught is for me. Josefs mother helped Ruthie finish putting her swimsuit on, and together they were able to pull the haphazard pile of furniture far enough away from the door to open it. There they are! Ivn cried. The only person close enough to save Josefs father was the Cuban policeman. Amiel The connection between Isabel and Josef's story is that Lito was the police officer who jumped off of the U.S St. Louis to save Josef's father when he tried to commit suicide. Here! And where exactly were they? He moved so the men on the dock could see Isabels mother, and the tourists behind the officers cried out in concern. Where did you hear that we were racing other ships to Cuba? he asked Josef. Maana, they said. We cant let them back in! Papa cried. No, Papa. It ended the conversation as quickly as it had begun. What was he supposed to do? She paused in her scooping, thinking how different her life might be right now. Seawater burbled up out of Seor Castillos mouth, and he suddenly lurched, coughing and spluttering. 5 years ago. Mahmouds legs went numb, and he thought he might fall over. Isabel Fernandez Character Analysis in Refugee | LitCharts Theyre fakes! Fake?! Please, take us with you! No! He hadnt done anything wrong! In Syria that sound would have sent him ducking for cover, but now it made his eyes widen, his legs kick just a little harder, a little higher. You said if I was quiet, if I stood very still, they wouldnt come for me, Papa said. His phone rang and he turned away to take it. Mahmoud still had the phone in his pocket! He decides who lives and who dies. Hana was cryingshe was alive!but it was all Mahmouds mother could do to keep the baby and her own face above the relentless waves. It sounds like were leaving, then, Luis told everyone in the boat. First it was Spain, then it was the US, then it was Russia. Maana, he whispered. The St. Louiss siren stopped blasting, and suddenly it was over. The tanker loomed larger. They take Syrians. Were trying to save money. Hana had gone as quiet as Waleed, and Mahmoud wondered if they were still alive. As annoying as his brother had been sometimes, Mahmoud wished he would show a little of the old crazy again. After stepping through a steel fire door that had CREW ONLY painted on it in big letters, Josef and the tour group went down staircase after staircase, and they still werent to the engine room yet. Papa was starting to attract the attention of the passengers around them. Dont! Shining cars and vans drove past on the road, and lights glowed in the windows of buildings. The boy saw his interest and came over to him. Breaking the Chains. Slow us down, Luis said. He and the other passengers had watched as launches went to and from the ship, as the yellow quarantine flag went up and then down. Were going all the way to Germany, Dad told him. No, not a song. Never! But there was no way her mother could reach her. He caught it and grabbed his mother before the dinghy pulled him away. Something elsesomeone elsefell on top of him, pushing him deeper down into the water. His hands were like blocks of ice. Not until they had been told to leave their homeland and never, ever come back. First the Soviet Union collapsing, then her parents fighting, then her father trying to leave. Yes, Schiendick said, spotting Josefs father. His father read the glowing screen. Yesyes! Josef closed his eyes and fought back tears of his own. Hed been more attentive to Mami. It scared Josef when his father got this way, but he was even more scared that the doctor would see Papas condition and turn them away. When are we going to get there? Ivn whined. The rain stopped. What choice do we have? Your sister, she said. Isabel held the screaming baby up high for him to see, and Lito fell to his knees, hands clasped to his chest. Let me die! he cried out again. Who wants to go out dancing? I just want to find someplace dry where I can sleep, said Mom. I want to go, his father said. Had he been their steward at dinner? Mahmouds sister was gone, and so were his father and brother. Oh, God, Seora Castillo cried, clutching her husbands hand. He says the boat is ready now. Mahmoud had learned not to get excited about these texts, but even so, he still felt a little flutter of hope in his chest. Back to the Nazis. We have to get the boat turned! Isabel heard Luis cry. Pap! Ivn shouted. Mahmoud was thrilledthe man spoke fluent Arabic. Refugee - Mahmoud-Josef-Isabel | PubHTML5 Cough. He howled louder than a fighter jet, and his parents didnt even tell him to hush. Yes! Lito grabbed Papi by the shirt. Isabel is 11 years old in 1994, growing up in Havana, Cuba, under Fidel Castro's regime. Their little blue boat spun sideways, and they zoomed toward the big ships prow. Cant go back. His father closed his eyes and put his head between his knees, and soon he was asleep. There was no time. The Castillo and . The boat wasnt a boat. She sat down beside him with a huff. Wouldnt. He is quiet and unobtrusive.. able "to walk around getting noticed by the Syrian army or the rebels fighting them was just inviting trouble" (12).. Physical description, when done well, helps the readers see characters in their minds. Ruthie. We have to hide, do you hear me? Where is he? Josef had never seen a dead body so close up before. The dinghy coming by had reenergized Mahmoud, but he could feel the buzz quickly draining away, replaced by a cold exhaustion that left his arms and legs numb. Do you want them to send you back to that place? Josef hissed at Papa. Waleed had been the hyper one, bouncing off walls and hopping on furniture and kicking soccer balls in the hall. He was sick when he came aboard. Florida! he cried. He pushed through the crowds and ran to the rail, but the policeman hadnt yet reached his father. He rose again, pushing air out his nose, but he was tired. After I told himafter I told him Couldnt let him know Aaron was really the one who Mamas eyelids closed, and she swayed. He caught himself hugging Ruthies stuffed bunny tight. She looked back at the pier and nice caf. The captain apologized profusely for the disturbance, and the funeral continued. There! Hail shattered windows like a never-ending shotgun blast. He wanted to stop being invisible and stand up and fight. Is it Florida? Ivn asked. Papa lay on a bed in his underclothes, trying to stay cool in the stifling heat. The men laid Josefs father in the bottom of the boat and helped the weary policeman aboard. Theyd been making trouble ever since the Cubans had told them they couldnt leave the ship. Isabel is devoted to her family and wants to keep them together. Yes! Josef and his family joined the other passengers standing in rows, and the doctor walked among them. Mom got in beside him with Hana, and Mahmouds father shifted Waleed in his arms so he could reluctantly sit in the front passenger seat. With his mother asleep, he had to watch his father every second. The things that happened at roll call. And get the engine running again, Ivn said. None of the smugglers came with them. All of us should have. Their little boat shot forward in the water, darting out of the way of the tankers prow. Lights came on in houses nearby, and curtains ruffled as people looked out at the noise. His father nodded, then led him to the sandbox by the pool and had him take a handful of sand. But they were right at Litos feet. After a few tense moments, Schiendick staggered back to his seat, the threat of the captains rank still worth something even so far away from the bridge. Schiendick snorted dismissively at the cowering man on the bed. All Josefs life, he had looked up to his father. Well be on our way. Mahmoud was annoyed. On the decks below, passengers ran to the rails and pointed. Mahmoud knew his dad was doing the math in his head. Mahmoud fought down his fear and fumbled with the straps on the dead mans life jacket. Mom stared out at the black dinghy bobbing in the gray-black Mediterranean seawater. Isabel? It was the big man who had sat next to him on the dinghy. Its coming right for us! Amara screamed. Mahmoud let his mother go for just a moment and wrestled the body over. PubHTML5 site will be inoperative during the His mother had been quietly sobbing for what seemed like forever. It was nothing official, Josef was sure, because the captain hadnt made an announcement. Do you want the Nazis to catch you? When is the funeral? Papa asked. His wife. It was such a long way down, and he didnt know how to swim Down below on C-deck, one of the Cuban policemen tossed his cap and gun belt aside, kicked off his shoes, and jumped headlong into the green water. There had to be someone who would help them. He shot twice more, and one of the shark fins turned away from the policeman to attack the shark the man had wounded with his pistol. A passenger? Later, in the hotel lobby, Mahmoud was still thinking about how he could get his brother back when he heard the desk clerk say they had no rooms left. The firemen were big, churlish brutes who were supposed to be on board to put out fires. They would tie his ankles together and his hands behind his back and tie a gag around his mouth, and then they would hang him upside down, with his head in a barrel. Captain Schroeder and the ships doctor were there too. But if we lose our heads, were only going to die faster. A Greek Coast Guard ship, come to save them. And then the water would rise high enough to cover his nose, and he would breathe in water because there was nothing else he could do. Thats why shed insisted they all go on the boat. They had missed the huge ships prow by mere meters, but the waves the behemoth created as it passed were just as dangerous. But the engine was dead again. The clear, delicious water was the best thing Isabel had ever tasted, and it settled them all down like mothers milk for a baby. They were off their feet, and they were on their way to someplace they could sleep. She pointed to red and yellow beach umbrellas with chairs underneath them. Refugee Test Flashcards | Quizlet They bailed water the rest of the night, taking turns dozing in the uncomfortable, crowded little boat. I find that describing facial features can be especially tricky! His mother carried Hana. She grabbed Lito and held him back. To scream and yell and wake the sleeping citizens of Izmir so they would see him and all the other people sleeping in doorways and parks. All that spring Isabel had waded without joy in the ocean, waiting for the storm to come that would tear her family apart. The engine rattled in its mounting, constantly weakening the bolts that held it in place. Drowned upside down. Josefs breathing stilled. But Guillermo was no dissident. One or the other of them was going to drown. The man flipped the wet hair out of his face, spun until he had his bearings, and set off swimming for Josefs father. The hangings. Idolized him. Isabel and the others scrambled so quickly to see that the boat tipped dangerously in the water. It took some time to get her into the life jacket, Mahmoud doing most of the work. Please Mahmoud begged. The policeman grabbed him and pulled him back in the boat. The rain began to collect in the bottom of the dinghy, and soon Mahmouds mother and the others were sitting in centimeters of shifting water. The girlfriend of Ivan's brother; she helps to steer the boat to Miami. Tomorrow. Isabel hit the water and sank into the warm Gulf Stream. A puff of gray smoke poofed out from the engine, but it didnt catch. He felt terrible for scaring his father like that, for making Papas fears worse instead of better. Youve nothing to worry about. He couldnt bear the thought of walking any farther. A huge black-and-red cargo ship slid by on the horizon. All they could do was stay on top of the next wave, the next wave, the next wave. Refugee Character Analysis | SuperSummary Seora Castillo reached for Isabels hand and squeezed it. They try desperately to bail the ship. A world outside the magic little bubble he and the other Jews lived in above decks on the MS St. Louis. Fight against the impossible and win, Isabel told herself. His father was gone. Theyre burying him at sea because were too far away from Cuba. Josef and his mother hung on to his father until Josefs words finally got through. A day out from Cuba, the St. Louis threw a party. But hed lost himself watching the Flandre sail out of Havana Harbor, his back turned to the promenade, and thats when theyd caught him. The sock stuffed into the bullet hole was soaked through, and it drip-drip-dripped water onto Castros face at the bottom of the boat like a leaky faucet. Start My Free Trial. You will get a text tomorrow. What are some characteristics of Isabel? - eNotes.com Character Analysis Josef Landau Josef is a 13-year-old Jewish boy living in Germany in the 1930s. Yes, Jockl said, straightening. The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee as: "someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion." She would have crawled over and hugged him, but there was no room to do it without three people getting up and moving for her to get there. There! Josefs mother slid to the floor crying, and Papa blubbered on the bed. You do have family in Miami, Isabels grandfather told her as she and Ivn worked. There was a feeling of wild relief, as though they were dancing away all the stress of leaving Germany. They would return to the chorus again and again before they were done. Mahmouds legs were numb with cold and exhaustion. Hed finally gotten somebody to stop, and now his father was trying to send him away! Time. The hallways were narrow, and the ceilings were low. Only Castro hadnt cracked. Refugee Plot Summary: Isabel's Story - Storyboard That Josef dropped Ruthies hand and got down on his hands and knees to search under the beds, but his father wasnt there. Dont forget your sister shes at the pool Her eyes flickered closed again, and she rolled back onto the bed. The white people got up from their tables at the bar to help pull them to the dock, and Isabel and the others reached for their hands. The stewards had told them all about its theaters and casinos and restaurants, and the Miramar Hotel, where all the waiters wore tuxedos. ("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 . They were finally doing it. And so they had to get up and walk again. Like a prisoner. You will get a text tomorrow. But where are we supposed to go? Mahmouds mother asked the smuggler. Characteristics Refugee by Isabella Boudreault - Prezi You want inside, you gotta pay rent, the burly man told them. His face came out of the water and he gulped down air, and then a wave washed over him again and he went down. Gotten me and your grandmother off the island. Then you would have been born in el norte! Ivn told Isabel. Josef had made his father a promise he couldnt keep. 15 answers. Then were officially in Europe, and we can take a ferry from there to Athens. When the smugglers had packed the dinghy full of refugees, they pushed it out to sea. They were going to die here. Isabel held her breath. Mami. He snatched up Bitsy and put the little stuffed bunny into Ruthies arms. He understood when he and his family lined up at the ladder on C-deck to leave the ship. You promised, and they came for me anyway. Josef felt like his father had slapped him, even though Papa hadnt touched him. Papa wrapped himself in a ball and threw his hands over his head, whimpering. It was getting so hard to come up again, to keep himself afloat. Josef is 12 years old at the beginning of the book, living in Nazi Germany in 1938, where Jewish people like Josef are treated as "subhuman" and second-class citizens. And this one was a real, working life jacket. Tomorrow, one of the other passengers translated for them. Josef spun in the room, trying to figure out what to do. Now, take that flag and leave here, Mr. Schiendick, or I will relieve you of duty and have you confined to quarters. The steward held Papas gaze a long moment more. The passengers on the St. Louis had grown more and more restless, cornering sailors on deck and berating their stewards at dinner. Late tonight, Josef told him. Water on something that was not water. How long could they afford to pay twenty-five thousand pounds a day and still have enough for the boat, and whatever came afterward? It took Josef a moment to realize his father was talking to him. The other hed learned to fear. The boat was already so far away! Isabels mother fell into the pool of water on the bottom and slid into the side of the boat with a thump. My house is too small for all of you, the man said, but I have a little car dealership, and you can stay in the office. Arabic! Unless we got blown into the Gulf of Mexico overnight. Whatever it is, Im steering for it, Amara told them. Josefs chest heaved like hed been running a marathon. Since when? Mahmouds father said. It was a different world below decks, Josef thought. Mahmoud turned to see his father with Waleed in his arms. You there! isabel refugee physical appearancehalo the weapon ai voice actor. But we have a sick pregnant woman, Lito said to the officer. He yanked frantically on the starter chain, barely giving the engine time to cough and die before he yanked on it again. The storm clouds turned the day into night, and the driving rain soaked Isabel to the bone. And how many more verses would there be before they got to the climax of the song, that brash moment at the end of a son cubano that echoed the refrain, and then the coda, those brief few notes that tied it all together? So did his father. Isabel This character is one of the three main protagonists in the novel, and the only female. A woman walking her little dog on the boardwalk on B-deck had caught him peeping. Lito and Papi and Luis rolled him over, and he retched up the rest of the ocean hed swallowed. This man was a refugee, and he owned his own car and his own business? This skeleton, this crazed ghost, this wasnt his father. Ruthie, she said at last, put your swimsuit on and go to the pool. I dont want to go swimming, Ruthie said, still crying in the corner. Looking for a place to live again. The Gulf Stream would carry them north, toward Florida, but they would need the engine to reach the shore. Their scowls made Mahmoud want to disappear again. Then suddenly they were both thrown to the bottom of the boat, and something buzzed like a mosquito underneath the howl of the tanker. Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey2015 - Mahmoud: Somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea2015. Im Otto Schiendick, the Nazi Party leader on this ship, he said, and German law says that a body buried at sea must be covered with the national flag. Schiendick unfurled the red-and-white Nazi flag with the black swastika in the middle, and the passengers gasped. All of us. It was clear to Josef that his father was still lost in his memories of Dachau as they led him to the social hall. He says. Mahmoud was in and out of sleep, waking every few seconds when the waves washed over him. On the bed, Josefs father propped himself up, a look of panic on his face. No no no no no, Josef said. Her parents had sent her to stay with Lito and Lita in their little shack on the coast. We have to get off this ship! Josef grabbed his fathers arm and held on tight. Theres a hotel on the next block, the smuggler said. Amara was pouring seawater over it, trying to cool it. Like this book? Please, Mahmoud begged. It was all she could do to keep Seor Castillos lolling head above water and catch quick breaths before the waves rolled over them both. Its only until tomorrow. The big man chuckled. Apparently, Schiendick and his Nazi friends had felt the tension too, because thats when the firemen patrols had begun. Minuteshours?passed, and Mahmoud dreamed that a boat was coming for them. During their journey, Ivan gets attacked by a shark, and dies, which is heart-breaking for Isabel since she considered him her brother. A song was something shorter. April 11, 2022 . Theyre gathering everybody in the social hall right now. Mamas shocked look told him she understood. Waleed was gawking just as much as Mahmoud, but he didnt say anything. Its for the medical quarantine, a doctor from Frankfurt explained to the small crowd who had gathered with Josef at the porthole to look at Cuba. Refugee Character Analysis | LitCharts Josef clenched his fists, and his ears burned hot with frustration and embarrassment at his helplessness. He was standing right beside me. He tumbled backward, head down in the murky water, his arms and feet thrashing, trying to right himself. The captain. On the wall of the common room, Josef saw a bulletin board with Nazi slogans and headlines from the rabidly anti-Jewish newspaper Der Strmer pinned to it. The bridge was a narrow, curving room that stretched from one side of the ship to the other. We made it! You said they wouldnt come for me. He couldnt ask. It seemed like a lifetime ago. They touched the brims of their hats, Josef noticed, instead of giving the Hitler salute. She quickly dug around in her big purse and tossed a plastic bottle full of pills to Isabel. They werent going to stop! She saw Seor Castillos head pop up from under the water, but only for a gasping secondtoo quick to get enough air. But it helped his seasickness to look outside instead of inside the boat. They were on their way to Cuba again. It was a hard, cold rain that plastered Mahmouds hair to his head and soaked him down to his socks. The floggings. She reached out to him, tentatively, gently, and he didnt flinch under her hand. On the other side of the dinghy, a man shifted quickly to vomit over the side. She was freezing cold and soaked from head to toe, but at least she was back in her mothers arms. One of the motor launches from shore reached them first, and the policeman helped the other men lift Josefs father into the boat. And they would never let Josefs family into Cuba now, not after his father had gone mad. Hey, is that land? Ivn asked. He was too old for kids stuff. He wanted to go back and stand up for the boy in the alley in Aleppo who was getting beaten up for his bread. Itll keep us cooler too. And right now, Isabel thought, cooler heads just might be the most important thing of all. He was so wound up he was quivering worse than his father. It was strange to Isabel to hear her father talk about something so normal, so practical, when Seor Castillo had almost drowned and the boat had almost rolled over and sunk. No! Cobbled is more like it. Ivn and Seor Castillo erupted at the same time.