Before Night Falls

In the novel, Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas who lived from 1943 to 1990, the author conveys many subjects and captures the reader to the full extent. Reinaldo Arenas, the author and the person who lived the experience writes this book for us in hopes of capturing our feelings and sympathy of the Cuban Revolution. Arenas wrote over twenty books, including ten novels and numerous short stories and poems. Arenas was not the only writer affected though as he states that, “All the literature of this century is somewhat burdened by the theme of uprootedness,” (Arenas, 36) which means every piece of literature surrounded the system of being exiled or the fear of being caught or doing wrong and being thrown out to
As Arenas gets older and older his childhood happiness fades away little by little. Soon a disastrous flood hits Cuba and where Reinaldo lives and it figuratively wipes away Reinaldo’s youth and all hopes that were to be had about Cuba’s government and policies. Reinaldo explains allegorically, “The most extraordinary event of my childhood was provided by the heavens,water rushed down gutters, reverberating over the sink roof like gun fire,a massive army marching across the trees, overflowing, cascading,thundering into burrows, water falling on water, drenched and whistling and out of control, and under the spell of violence let loose that would sweep away almost everything in its path…it was the mystery of destruction,the law of life, as I saw it the currents were ruining my life (Arenas 137).” The structure of this quote is on many levels and it signifies the transition that Reinaldo will have to go through where acceptance is hard to come around in his new setting. Literally, the flood sweeps away all old and fond memories, and leaves destruction in the end, but really Arenas is really trying to convey his youth being gobbled up and left with instability; unable to tackle his compromises. With the theme of homosexuality lingering, there were many problems with Arenas and the Cuban dictatorship. As Fidel Castro