Before We Were Free

Anita comes to associate family with the concepts of home and community, most notably after the family is divided after Lucinda’s departure and Papi’s capture. In the beginning of the novel, the family lives on a compound with other family members, as well as with the Washburns, an American family. Though the Washburns work for the US government, Anita falls in love with their son Sam and the families also become closer after Mami helps Mrs. Washburn find her footing with friends. The families living in the compound become a community that aids one another, especially in times of need. Mr. Washburn drives Anita to school often, and the Washburns help Lucinda flee to the US to escape from Trujillo’s sexual appetite. The Washburns even help carry guns for the revolution. When the Washburns eventually move away for their safety, Anita feels this loss like the loss of her family members who have fled to the US.

When Anita and Mami flee to New York, Anita wants to return to the Dominican Republic. What she realizes she means, however, is that she just wants the family to be together again. Though she reunites with her brother and other family members in New York, her father and uncle are in prison in the Dominican Republic.