This post will describe how characters in Refugee had power and lost it at different parts of the story.
Isabel
In the book Refugee by Alan Gratz, all of the characters had power at one point and lost it drastically in the story. In Isabel’s case, she had to leave because her country was run by a dictator who was making the lives of many citizens very difficult. Isabel, right when she left Cuba, they thought the rebels had overthrown Castro, but when they were shot at, they realized that things were not safe for them. Another part when Isabel felt the loss of power was when they reached Florida and the coast guard came. Senor Castillo had to jump in the water so that the coast guard would have to save him which would interrupt the guard and prevent them from restricting the boat to go any farther.
Mahmoud
When Mamoud’s family first got out of Syria they thought things were going well. But then their Mercedes Benz got shot up and they realized that their safety and power were at risk. Another time they felt a loss of power what when a taxi driver agreed to drive them to freedom. However, he stopped when he got closer to the border and held the family at gunpoint and made them turn over all the money they had.
Joseph
Joseph and his family were in Germany and they are all Jewish. They were attempting to escape. His father had gone to the camp and his father was a changed man because of that. Joseph felt he had power before his father went to the camp because nothing had directly affected his family. But when his father was taken away, he felt powerless. On the immigration boat when he stood up to the captain, he felt powerful. But when the captain threatened to sent the entire family straight to the camps, Joseph was left powerless again.
The characters in Refugee experience having power and losing power throughout their stories There are many similarities between the characters and their struggles with power. I’ve come to realize that power is a fragile responsibility.