The Red Umbrella

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Chapters 21-24

Chapters 25-29

Chapters 30-33

Chapters 34-37

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapters 25-29Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 25 Summary: “Cuba Is Pressing Toward Red Goal; Regime Directs Drive to Set Up Communist State —The New York Times, July 30, 1961”

The weather is beginning to change in Nebraska, with the nights becoming cooler. Lucia feels that her home in Cuba moves further away with each day, and she fears she may never see her parents again. She reads Mr. Baxter’s newspaper daily, discovering how freedom of speech is honored and represented in American papers. She is beginning to realize that the people of Cuba have scarified too much for the hope and promise of positive change, which is beginning to seem unrealistic. The American papers enlighten Lucia about what is truly happening in Cuba. In just a few months, her perspective on the revolution changes. She used to think that the people being jailed or killed “must have done something wrong or just didn’t love Cuba enough,” but now she sees that anyone who disagrees with the revolution is merely “eliminated” (229).

At church, Mrs. Baxter tells Lucia they will leave quickly after the service because she knows they are expecting a call from Cuba. Usually, Mrs. Baxter introduces Lucia and Frankie to her friends after church, and she lets Frankie get doughnuts. Lucia and Frankie never mingle with the kids their age, and Lucia wonders if sometimes they are being laughed at.

Chapter 26 Summary: “Cuba Exiles Adjust to New Lives —Ada Evening News, September 5, 1961”

Frankie and Lucia wait by the bus stop for their first day of school. On the bus, one girl is rude to Lucia, but another girl, Jennifer, asks Lucia to sit with her. Jennifer is very friendly and sets Lucia at ease. Lucia is pleased that they have several classes together, including homeroom. Jennifer is impressed that Lucia is taking Honors Algebra II. Lucia is glad she chose to wear her yellow plaid dress until the rude girl, Betty, explains to a boy on the bus that Lucia is wearing one of her old dresses that her mother had donated to the “needy.” Lucia is embarrassed, but Jennifer tells her to ignore Betty.

The high school is busy and full of kids, and Lucia feels like she can blend in. She is beginning to think she may not be singled out when her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Brolin, tells everyone to “take notice of Ms. Alvarez” (256). Thankfully, most of the kids go back to what they were doing, but one boy “held up a piece of notebook paper that said, ‘Hi, I’m Eddie’” (368). Lucia nods at him.

Chapter 27 Summary: “Cuba Calls Priests Traitors, Murderers —Oakland Tribune, September 12, 1961”

Frankie interrupts Lucia while she is completing her homework. Lucia tells Frankie that she cannot play with him. Lucia is discouraged because it takes her much longer to complete her work than it did in Cuba because she must translate everything from English. Mrs. Baxter sees how hard Lucia is working and brings her some strawberries. Mrs. Baxter encourages Lucia, saying she will soon fall into a rhythm with schoolwork and that it will become easier. Lucia explains that she wants to get good grades because, as Papa always said, what is in your head, “no one can take from you” (261). Mrs. Baxter adds that what is in one’s heart can also not be taken away. Lucia likes this and agrees.

Chapter 28 Summary: “Firing Squads Have Only Started, Declares Castro —The Yuma Daily Sun, September 29, 1961”

After one month, Lucia has established a routine of riding the bus to school and attending her classes, and she has joined a group of friends. Most of the kids are welcoming and helpful, except for Betty and her group of girlfriends. Jennifer thinks Betty is jealous of Lucia because some of the older boys take notice of her. Betty harasses Lucia in the hall between classes, but Jennifer encourages Lucia to ignore her. Betty tells Lucia that she is “just a pet project for the people around here” and that she is “nothing special” (266). Betty’s words deeply effect Lucia, and she has trouble concentrating in her classes.

At the lunch table, Lucia’s friends encourage her to forget about Betty because Betty and her friends are “nasty idiots” (267). Eddie comes by the girls’ table and jokes around with them for a few minutes. Lucia’s friends all think he has a crush on Lucia. Lucia denies any attraction for Eddie. Lucia’s friend Susan tells Lucia that she is now “officially one of us midlevel girls” (269). When Lucia asks what that means, Jennifer explains that it means they are all “average American girls” (269). Since Lucia cannot be an average Cuban girl, she is happy with this title.

Chapter 29 Summary: “Cuba’s Youth Receive Hurried Red Training; Mystery Man Heads ‘Art’ Schools Which Teach Marx-Lenin Theory, Hatred of the U.S. —The Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1961”

Lucia’s 15th birthday arrives. She feels melancholy on the bus ride home from school, but as the bus nears the Baxters’ house, it begins to snow. Frankie and Lucia play outside for hours before Mrs. Baxter calls them in for Lucia’s birthday dinner. Before dinner, Mrs. Baxter gives Lucia a necklace with a golden chain and a small gold cross. Lucia is moved by the beautiful gift. She also receives a birthday card from her parents, and she reads it at dinner. Mr. Baxter tells Lucia that, for her birthday present from him, he will teach her how to drive. Lucia is thrilled and surprised to realize her birthday “hadn’t been such a horrible day after all” (279).

After dinner, Lucia sits at her desk in her room trying to start a letter to her parents. Mr. Baxter interrupts and gives her a letter that had gotten mixed up with their mail. Lucia instantly recognizes the handwriting as Ivette’s. Ivette explains that her parents have not been giving her the letters Lucia has sent. She tells her that they are still best friends and of course she forgives Lucia for blaming her for her Papa’s arrest. Ivette tells Lucia to send all future letters to her own parents’ house so Ivette can pick them up there. Ivette also shares a horrible secret with Lucia: She was sexually assaulted by a soldier. She begs Lucia not to tell anyone and to never speak about it again. Horrified, Lucia wishes she could be there for Ivette. The letter ends on a chilling note, with “three words, written in large letters at the very bottom of the page…Viva La Revolucion!” (287).

Chapters 25-29 Analysis

Time moves more quickly than in previous chapters. As the months pass, Lucia is beginning to connect with Mrs. Baxter. She feels cared for and safe, and is even able to enjoy her childhood at times. She makes friends, and she is starting to feel like a normal teenager again. Her long anticipated birthday is memorable, and she realizes that she is, at times, happy. Communication is a central motif, as Lucia continues exchanging phone calls and letters with her family. Yet the story is progressing toward resolution, as the falling action in these chapters provides relief from the political tension and the emotional family separation.

The theme of loss of innocence reappears when Ivette reveals that she was sexually assaulted. This information horrifies Lucia and signifies the end of Ivette’s childhood. This is the second incident of sexual misconduct in the novel, the first being Manuel’s violation of Lucia’s boundaries when he tried to force himself on her. These violent encounters with sex thrust the girls into adulthood, shattering their daydreams about a happy and romantic first love.

It is also clear that Ivette has been totally indoctrinated by the revolution. Even after she is assaulted, she still feels loyal to the revolution. It is difficult and disturbing for Lucia to realize how much Ivette has lost and how much she has changed. Lucia’s maturity and newfound wisdom are apparent in the harsh realizations that follow her correspondence with Ivette. She understands that their friendship will not survive the revolution and that Ivette has been taken from her, just as so many other things have been taken. She wisely understands that Ivette’s fanaticism is dangerous and tragic.

As Lucia’s friendship with Ivette wanes, she develops a deeper emotional connection with Mrs. Baxter. In Cuba, a girl’s 15th birthday is the day she is considered a young woman. In the US, Lucia genuinely is maturing into a young woman. Her duties on the Baxters’ farm and to Frankie have made her more responsible, and the dissolution of her friendship with Ivette has helped her determine who she really is and what she truly believes about the revolution, people, the world, and her family.

The gold necklace that Mrs. Baxter gives Lucia is an important symbol. The necklace belonged to Mrs. Baxter, and her decision to gift it to Lucia represents their growing connection. It also symbolizes Lucia’s coming of age, as she is mature enough to understand the significance of the gift and is moved by the gesture. Ivette once made fun of a cross necklace Lucia wore in Cuba, calling it childish. The necklace that Mrs. Baxter gives Lucia is not childish. Rather, it represents her new life and relationships. Like Mama’s jewelry, this gift reflects Lucia’s independence and autonomy as a maturing young woman, as well as her cherished connections to her loved ones.