"A cortege of guards in dress whites came through, followed by a handful of sorry-looking boys, their skulls visible under their shaven heads, their eyes big and scared, their faces swollen with bruises."
At the end of Chapter 10, Patria is awaiting the release of her son Nelson. This is a very significant event as Patria repeatedly talked about it and prayed for this day to come. As the prisoners are released along with her son, she is stunned with their conditions. Alvarez describes the group as "a handful of sorry-looking boys, their skulls visible under their shaven heads, their eyes big and scared, their faces swollen with bruises" (Alvarez 255). This anaphora is filled with vivid imagery and the reader can easily visualize the guards bringing them in. The repetition of the word "their" emphasizes the state of the boys and the torture they faced like how with their skulls were visible and the bruises. Along with that, Alvarez writes “their eyes big and scared” showing the fear they held. This all ties back to the overall theme of authoritarianism to show how people are punished if they disagree with dictators even if its for something they stand for.
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| The feeling Patria got when seeing her son |
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