“The sea remembers. So it is the sea retells.”

Remedios is The Healer, but a more appropriate title might be The Listener. Within the depths of the sea lie countless memories of countless lives, and only Remedios keeps those memories alive. In the tug-of-war between nature and progress, most of Santiago’s residents are too busy with work and family to heed the call of the sea. That job is for Remedios alone, and only by being attuned to nature’s voice can she (or anyone) hear the story.

“What else could he say? He had made the offer, and it is a man’s duty to honor what he says. He did not question his own decisions, no matter how hastily they were made.”

When Candelario offers to take Marta’s child, he does so spontaneously, without consulting his wife. And once the decision has been made, he has no choice but to adhere to it. It speaks to a certain patriarchy in the culture that the husband can make decisions that affect both partners, and that those decisions, by virtue of his gender, must be permanent.

“But that was all behind him. After his trip to the capital, his life would be changed.”

After Fulgencio the photographer takes a picture of a celebrity without his customary mask, he is convinced he can sell it for a large sum of money. Fulgencio’s fantasy embodies the aspirations of most of Santiago’s residents. Candelario dreams of a better job; Marta dreams of a new life in El Paso; Rafael and Esperanza dream of love.