A Deeper Look Into Anna in the Tropics - Critical Essay

Introduction

One of the major points of dispute from the story is the description of the life and the life situations among the Cuban Americans who are working in a cigar factory. The characters in the story discussing the nostalgic memories of the people living in Cuba (Cruz, 451). It is apparent that they are people who are enjoying the memories and the past experiences of their past in their lives in their country of origin in Cuba (Cruz,451). Various thematic concerns have been explored and are accurately discussed in the story such as the theme of tradition and the theme of change. The characters are forced to have to live with some of the decisions that are in line with their traditions despite the pressing need for change. Other thematic concerns that have been addressed in the story include, nature, literature and as expected, the influence of love in our lives. The title of the poem in our lives is used to refer to the cataclysmic ending of the play, the direct reference to the more popular novel by Tolstoy where they are both entwined in a love triangle and the appalling outcome of the infidelity affair as in Anna in the Tropics (Cruz,448).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

At the beginning of the play, one begins to know about the half-brother who is determined to take away the prestigious position of the lector in the firm and mechanize the factory to get rid of the most of the human labor in the industry (Cruz,453). The introduction of the play helps one to understand the play and how the themes develop through the characters as the play advances.

How Does Anna in the Tropics Compare With Oedipus Rex as a Reflection of Specific Cultures, Times And/or Places?

Oedipus Rex and Anna in the tropics are plays that are set in different times and their contexts are distinctly different from each other. They are however plays that highlights the need for context and the setting as they influence how the intended themes of the author are developed. Oedipus Rex is a story that is set in Greece at a time when there is a sort of famine that is ravishing the country and they are compelled to look at their gods who reveals an indiscretion that makes the people lose their lives and a lifelong prophecy is revealed to the people (Sophocles, 21). The fact that it is the setting such that their consultation of the gods that were respected and venerated in Greece serves to show that should have the plays been set in a community that had no beliefs in things such as the oracle, the advancement of themes such as destiny would not have been developed (Sophocles, 38.). The fact that Oedipus ran away from his supposed home when he learned about the abomination that was to take place, served to show that as much as one decides to get away from their fate, it will always catch up with someone. In Anna, the inclusion of the allusion to Tolstoy's book is one that helps one to get the perspective that the author desires (Cruz,453). The two plays, hence are ones that use other pieces of literature to make the reader understand the practicality of their themes to the public.

What Is and How Does Anna in the Tropics Reveal and Tie Into Its Cultural Context(s)?

The author's intention was to set the play at the time when the lectors played a significant role in the cigar factories. It was, however, a move that would complicate the play and hence limit the number of readers who can relate to the story. He hence decided to focus on one lector and help the reader to understand the indispensable role that the lector played in ensuring that the essentiality of the need for personal and financial independence was portrayed in a realistic way n Cruz,451). The time of the play is one that helps one to understand some of the themes such as the themes of tradition and change as the lector in the play was arguably one of the last. The setting to the time at a time when depression was beginning was hence one that ensured that the people understood the turmoil that the people were going through as they tried to understand the changes that were associated with depression. The setting of the play as one that has predominantly Cuban immigrants also helps one to understand the cultural ties that are related to the play. Consider, for instance, the fact the Cubans are immigrants, the annihilation of the positions that they effectively held is a threat to their livelihood and ultimately to their cultural ties Cruz,450). It is hence important that the Cuban setting is noted as it is one that helps one to have a perspective about the various themes that have been developed in the story.

What Might Anna in the Tropics Reveal About the Condition of Being a Human?

The innate need for people to change and the refusal of the people is what ultimately brings on their annihilation. The play raises some integral questions such as the repercussions of the refusal to adapt to change as in the case of factory workers. The eventual outcome of the people innate need to maintain the status quo is so accurately captured as it reflects on the usual need of the people to stay in their comfort zones until they are in the end destroyed Cruz,451). The refusal to adapt to change is hence a topic that is accurately captured as the people are first hand exposure to the challenges that the people face.

Another human character that is highlighted in the story is the greed and their wants to have even the things that they know will cost them their relationship is efficiently highlighted. For instance, the idea of the people falling in love is an idea that is as real as it gets. The people are taught about the struggles that come with relationship and infidelity that are all a part of human attributes Cruz,467). It is hence important that one understands that as much as the story is one that one would assume it is only meant to look at the impact of depression, it is crucial that one understands that there are characters that reflect all human attributed inherent in a person such as greed as in the brother Cheche.

How Might a Play Like Anna in the Tropics Influence the Individual and Society?

Anna in the Tropics is a play that looks at some of the things that would be considered to be a personal choice might at the end have an impact on the whole society. For instance, consider the example of Cheche who influenced by his greed and his desire to become a leader leads to most of the people who have lost their jobs to look at the impact that a selfish decision can have on the people (Cruz, 458). The play highlights that argument that our selfish decisions can sometimes have dire consequences even for our loved ones. Cheche is not the only person who has had to live with the impact that his decisions have had in the lives of innocent people but trying to eke a living. Ofelia addiction to gambling is one move that affects the society as a whole. It is hence important that one looks at the fact that even our individual pleasures as in the case of Ofelia have the ability to even endanger the livelihood of the people that we love Cruz,452). The fact that Cheche has some inherent hate for any Lector from a relationship gone sour, is an evidence that the people need to learn that the personal aversions such as that of Cheche are one that will affect the very society that they live in.

How Anna in the Tropics Concepts Connect to Global Issues/Concerns Such?

The mechanization of labor is a move that has been an influencing factor in the lives of the people as witnessed in the lives of Anna in the Tropics. The people have had to live with the machines replacing their job description as in the case of Cheche move to have the workers replaced with machines (Cruz,453). The growing innovativeness as people continue to grow in technology is a move that has been made to be a disadvantage even to the lives of the people that see them is their livelihood. The mechanization is a process that initially was conceived by the industries during the time of depression, a time when Anna in the Tropics was set. The play in a relatable way captures the struggles of people to look for employment when most of the jobs that they would do have been replaced by machines and computers (Cruz,453). Such cases of joblessness compel people to revert to crime as they are left with limited options for survival. In addition, the mechanization of the labor force in the global context is one that has encouraged the development of the vices that the society should be trying to eliminate. Vices such as prostitution, drug trafficking, and child trafficking are all perceived as ways to get a living in a world that is slowly turning to a concrete jungle. The turmoil and the struggles that the people go through, in the play is one that makes one reflect on the current situation in the contemporary world.

Conclusion

Anna in the Tropics is a play that looks at some of the things that would be considered to be a personal choice might at the end have an impact on the whole society. For instance, consider the example of Cheche who influenced by his greed and his desire to become a leader leads to most of the people who have lost their jobs to look at the impact that a selfish decision can have on the people we love(Cruz,458). The play highlights that argument that our selfish decisions can sometimes have dire consequences even for our loved ones. Cheche is not the only person who has had to live with the impact that his decisions have had in the lives of innocent people but trying to eke a living. Ofelia addiction to gambling is one move that affects the society as a whole. It is hence important that one looks at the fact that even our individual pleasures as in the case of Ofelia have the ability to even endanger the livelihood of the people that we love (Cruz,452)

Works Cited

Cruz, Nilo. Anna In The Tropics. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2003. Print.

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Print.