All of the refugees follow and Mahmouds parents catch up as well. What she heard instead was the sound of breaking glass. Some people fled from the chaos, but more people raced toward it, and Isabel ran with them. Clothes, food, sports, movies, travel, school, opportunity. Then, Mahmoud and, Mahmoud: Somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea 2015, 11 days from home (2), the bottom of the sea, and says a funeral prayer for him. Finally, Shabbos arrived. Isabel thought he meant Luiss girlfriend, but instead he pushed some of the sacks of food and jugs of water out of the way and pointed to the bottom of the boat. Good and bad things happened either way. He has a mother, a father, a younger brother, and a baby sister. Hana! his father cried. Asked by Bishara. Mahmoud told his dad that he wanted to board a boat and go to Italy, where he'd have a chance to go to school. The building groaned again, and a kitchen on the top floor began to tip toward the street. Earn weekly rewards. Even though their apartment wasnt far away, Mahmoud led Waleed on a different route home every day. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would burst right out of his chest, but Mahmoud found the courage to grab Waleed by the arm, drag him over the seat, and dive headfirst out the door. Seora Castillo, Ivns mother, was dark-skinned and curvy, and wore a white kerchief over her dreadlocks. All Isabel could see was the metal side of the boat in front of her face, but she heard a commotion behind her. After what seemed like an eternity of looking over their papers, the border guard finally stapled temporary visas onto their passports and let them through. "Refugee Characters: Mahmoud Bishara." LitCharts. Evelyne got quiet, and Josef could hear the woman desperately rattling the stall doors, looking for a toilet. For decades, the United States had rescued any Cuban refugees they found at sea and taken them to Florida. Were against whoever is dropping the bombs too, the soldier at the window said. Buying a paper for your father? he asked Josef. She staggered to the door of her bedroom, Hana crying in her arms. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Soon enough, a steward balancing a large silver tray came down the hall from the other end and knocked on a door. He put a hand to it and came away with blood. Renata and You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Well, if it isnt Hurricane Isabel, Seor Castillo said. The police were being summoned elsewhere. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Shed told her parents what shed done, but not Lito. But the good people couldnt help you, either., Youre still alive, and so is your little sister, somewhere. Mahmoud grapples with this question of whether it is better to be invisible or visible over the course of the novel as his family travels from Syria to Germany. Germany was his home. Khalid was clever. . Canoes with homemade outriggers. Youre Mariano Padrons granddaughter, arent you? the fisherman said. When he was finished washing up, Mahmoud went to the corner of the living room that faced Mecca. No boat today. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. In order to survive, Mahmoud learned to stay invisible. Good and bad things happened either way. The paint was peeling, and the buildings were old and weathered, but they still looked grand to Isabel. Being invisible was how he survived. It was night, and a waning moon peeked out from behind scattered clouds. I dont have time for games, he would tell me. By now, May of 1939, most countries had stopped admitting Jewish refugees, or had lots of official applications you had to fill out and file and pay for before they would let you in. Isabel had to stop and think about that. Please! Mahmoud cried. I know it. But by then it will be too late. Mahmoud remembered the horror hed felt when his apartment building collapsed and hed thought his mom was still inside. Josef and Ruthie went over to see what they were doing. A roar like a hot wind rising outside. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, They only see us when we do something they dont want us to do. His ears still rang, but through the buzz he could hear more thuds and booms. He nods, but says that Frau Rosenburg can make one for, and Rachel died so that she could live. Everywhere around them, people fled into the streets, covered in gray dust and blood. Please, Isabel begged. He travelled to Aleppo and Damascus in Syria. He screamed even louder than his little sister, drowning her out. Do you have any relatives back in Miami that you want to send a message to? the reporter asked. No one who has lived in Germany for the past six years would be so foolish as to go to a Jewish service aboard a Nazi ship. Papa ran a hand over his shaved head. We should have gone long ago. Mahmoud Bisharas full name is Mahmoud Bishara. He uses this skill daily, finding a new route home from school each day to keep himself and his little brother Waleed safe. It wasnt there anymore. Its fur was scraggly and dull, and Isabel could feel the cats bones through its skin. It took her a moment to process it, but this was really happening. But Syrians knew protesting in the streets was dangerous. Among the people who join Isabel on the journey is her grandfather Lito, who is eventually revealed to be Mariano Padron, the Cuban officer who, decades ago, prevented Josef from entering Havana. While hed been praying, Waleed joined him. Youll fall out of the boat! Isabels mother told him. Isabel takes on a great of responsibility for her family due to the upheaval in which she lives. Falling Action 1: Mahmoud and his family are imprisoned, along with hundreds of other Syrian refugees, for trying to cross the Hungarian border, which does not accept migrants. If he were a Turkish border guard, he wouldnt have let in any of these dirty, squalid people, himself included. He bopped his nose hard enough to jerk awake, and Ruthie laughed hysterically. Well let you in maana. A car honked behind Mahmoud, and he turned like everybody else. I just want to keep my family safe, Dad said. When her father, Geraldo, is worried that the police are coming after him for protesting, Isabel rallies her own family and another family, the Castillos, to take a boat to Miami and escape the oppression of Cuba. A specimen. Dad, our house is gone! Mahmoud told him. The men wore jeans and T-shirts and tracksuits; the women wore dresses and abayas and hijabs. Castro condemned the violence that had broken out on the Malecn, blaming it on US agents. One such scholar is Mahmoud Mamdani who, although he shares many of Rouhana's concerns, makes a useful comparison between the Native American and Palestinian situations. Its a trap. No more Ministry of Telling People What to Think or Else, he said. Klaus had been wearing the same uniform this boy did now. I want you to go to college first, his mother told him. But the only thing that matters to him in this moment is finding. A telegram from Papa! In Hungary, the family is about to be deported back to Syria when Mahmoud leads a refugee march out of the detention center. Germany? But then there his dad was, running down the street toward them, and Mahmoud felt like he could fly. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner! the adults answered back, as though theyd heard that one many times before too. 2011 (14) IWB are their Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims? Syria was ruled by Bashar al- Assad, who had twice been elected president when no one was allowed to run against him. Mahmoud bishara lives in Aleppo, Syria in the year 2015. It is revealed at the conclusion of the novel that Lito was Mariano Padron, the Cuban officer who rescued Josefs father, Aaron, when he jumped into the ocean decades before. This reminds Mahmoud of, might be too old. Josef and his family were on their way to a new country. We can wait our turn. The startled man at the front of the line motioned for them to go ahead, and Josefs mother thanked him. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. And this is Ruthie. Come on, Evielets do the bathrooms on A-deck! The girls tore away, and Josef huffed. A few hours later, they watched from the promenade as tugboats pushed the MS St. Louis away from the dock, and passengers threw confetti and celebrated and blew tearful kisses good-bye. Which is usually that dog Assad. Mahmoud breathed again with relief. The pistol fired againpak!andping!the hull of the Castilloss boat rang as the bullet hit it. She dropped to her knees and pulled them both into a hug. St. Louis was the name of a city in America, Josef had learned. You shouldnt be leaving Syria, said one of the soldiers. I traded my trumpet, she confessed. Even grumpy Seor Castillo chuckled. My father was almost arrested, Isabel said. When his father is released six months later, Josef, his mother Rachel, his sister Ruthie, and his father, now traumatized by his experiences at Dachau, all board the MS St. Louis, which is set to take them to Cuba. What did the Serbian taxi driver do after stopping the taxi on the highway? It was hungry Cubans. Castro rambled on without a script, quoting novels and telling personal anecdotes about the Revolution. Instead of running away, should Mahmoud and his father join the rebels and fight to win their country back? Ill get another one in the States, she said. feet, he wasnt coming back. It was a boat. Ivn, nail. People are rioting in Havana! Isabel said. If your eyes were the sea, I would drown in them. Lito was giving her piropos, the flirtatious compliments Cuban men said to women on the street. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Were you able to get the cash weve put away? Mahmouds mother nodded, but she was clearly still worried. He dies in a concentration camp. After four years of war, he has become paranoid, and his younger brother, Waleed, no longer expresses emotions. This is all a misunderstanding, Papa said. Josefs breath caught in his throat and Ruthie cried out and buried her face in Josefs stomach as their papa pulled the two of them into a hug. The leader of Syria. German families talked and laughed and argued in their compartments, just like Jews. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. It's Playing out in His Novels (Published 2018)", "Refugee by Alan Gratz A Timely and Important Novel", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Refugee_(Gratz_novel)&oldid=1120635547, This page was last edited on 8 November 2022, at 01:30. More police were arriving by motorcycle and military truck, and the protest was turning bloody. But the Nazis had told them to get out of Germany twice now, and the Landau family wasnt going to wait around to see what the Nazis would do next. It had fallen five stories to the ground below, along with the outside wall. But before Mami had reached the set, Castro said something that made them all sit up and listen. Put that on. They fell on him, hitting and kicking him for being a Jew, and calling him all kinds of names. Worse, the other policemen were running tooand they were all headed for the Castilloss boat! Ill stay here with your father. Josef and Ruth were only too glad to get away from Papa. But arguably Josefs most difficult decision is the one he must make at the novels conclusion: when the Nazis offer Rachel the option of releasing just one of her children, Josef sacrifices himself to relieve Rachel of this burden and to keep Ruthie out of the extermination camps. They are reunited with, Mahmoud: Hungary to Germany 2015, 17 days from home, and other supplies. Nono! Isabel caught up with her father and grandfather, then parted ways with them on the Malecn, the broad road that curved along the seawall on Havana Harbor. I saw on the TV theyre accepting refugees. Waleed? their mother cried. Do you understand? I Yes, Josef stammered. Mami was very pregnantshe was due in a weeks timeso Isabel knelt down to find the iodine. He says the family has stayed for too long and it is time to escape to Germany. Josef stood and stared. Isabel shook her head, convinced she was hearing things, and put her lips back to her trumpet. The Brownshirt in charge laughed. See here, he told Mahmouds father, youll have to go over to Qatmah, and then north through Qestel Cindo. They conducted interviews with persons who gave their accounts of what they had seen. After Herr Meier had called him in front of the class to show how Jews were inferior to real Germans, Josef had returned to his seat next to Klaus, his best friend in the class. More than half their village was on the sand, clapping, waving, and cheering on the boats.