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Dylan Justice Michael Moreno ENGL 247 Winter 2013 2/1/2013 Duty, Tradition, and Cultural Division in Eduardo Machados The Cook Machados play The Cook begins during the time of the Communist revolution led by Fidel Castro. We are introduced to the kitchen where the action of the play takes place on December 31st, 1958 immediately before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. The events of the story revolve around the unhappy marriage of the two main characters: Gladys and Carlos. These characters are each fiercely dedicated to their moral beliefs & duties. The importance of duty and tradition to these characters shape their actions and decisions, for better or worse, throughout the play. They also give us a glimpse into Machados perspective on Cuban culture and the divide created during Fidel Castros communist revolution. Both Gladys and Carlos are iconic of the sense of tradition inherent to the Cuban people while Adria provides a focal point for the division between the first wave immigrants and those who stayed. Machado draws on his own experience as a Cuban who left during the revolution to lend authenticity to these portrayals. Machado often writes on political topics using events from his own life as inspiration (Machado). At eight years old he escaped the regime of Fidel Castro to come to the United States, one of 14,048 unaccompanied children sent by their fearful parents (Machado, Heyck). His play The Cook was inspired by a visit to Cuba in 2001, forty years after leaving (Machado). While visiting his homeland, he ate at a paladar (eating establishment run from a personal residence). The proprietor, an older lady

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named Gladys, had painstakingly preserved the house and also had a portrait of the previous owner hanging on the wall. This real individual inspired the main character in

The Cook. When Machado asked her about the portrait on the wall she quickly
indicated that she did not want to talk about it revealing to him how she came to possess the beautiful house (Machado). As a cook for a wealthy white woman, the character Gladys in his play is intimately based on this personal encounter. She is opposed to the revolution from the beginning, while her husband Carlos is strongly in favor. Her masters are forced to flee as political exiles, part of the first wave of Cuban immigrants to the United States (Heyck). The revolution forced many Cubans who had been wealthy under the regime of Batista to flee. These immigrants were unique among Latino groups in that they were welcomed by the United States Government and provided with tools to be successful (Heyck). Gladys maintains the house for forty years out of ill advised loyalty to her former employer. In the final action of the novel we learn that Adria will never return to Cuba. This is typical of the political exiles who left Cuba during the first wave of immigration they feel betrayed by the country. As Lourdes indicates, her mother Adria feels so betrayed by everyone who stayed. While Machado left Cuba as a child, and likely does not share the feelings of loss with his elders, I am sure he was exposed to those feelings in his community. Machados experience was not an isolated incident. In the article Cuban-American Cuba Visits: Public Policy, Private Practices, we see that Until recently, community pressures among first-wave migrs kept travel desires at a minimum. As a man who emigrated in the 1960s explained, My

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social class doesnt go to Cuba. [Former Cuban-American National Foundation leader] Mas Canosa is a saint. We wont break ranks. The man remained loyal to Mas Canosas wishes even after the revered, charismatic former leader died. In other instances, however, fear of community retribution, more than community moral commitment, discouraged travel. (Eckstein, Barberia) Taken in both a historical context, and in the context of Muchados life experiences, The

Cook can be interpreted as an expression of the division present in Cuban culture.

Machado also reveals his belief in the strong sense of duty and tradition inherent to the Cuban culture by the traits he gives his main characters: Gladys and Carlos. Gladys remains loyal to her family long after they have left the island even after they choose never to contact her. She endures the betrayal of her husband and the death of her cousin rather than neglect her promise to Aida to protect the house. Muchado also uses his characters to illustrate the divide between those that support the revolution and those who do not. The communist revolution was an extreme, class based reorganization of the Cuban government. Castro was a champion for those who were disadvantaged under the reign of Batista. Supporters cite his socialist policies, while critics decry his brutal exercise of power and persecution of social categories such as homosexuals. We can see this by Carloss character, a chauffeur to a wealthy family when we first meet him, but with aspirations of much greater things after the revolution. He is a staunch believer in the socialist structure, and complains that the wealth surrounding him belongs to the owners only by chance. The wealthy classes

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professionals, aristocrats, and political leaders who controlled the social and economic power during the Batista reign, were exiled during the beginning of Castros revolution (Heyck). Gladys, in contrast to Carlos, is satisfied under Batista. She benefitted from the care & interest of a wealthy family, and holds a respectable position as their cook. In the opening scene of the play she hushes her husbands revolutionary talk. As the play progresses she continues to resist the revolutionary culture, even when it brings her great pain and betrayal. Carlos, for his part, also stays true to his belief in the communist party, even when it has left him with only a meager pension to live on in a hard economic time. Despite being evacuated to the United States, Muchado identifies with the socialist beliefs of those who remained in Cuba and longs for his homeland. He recognizes the division in Cuban culture. This is evidenced by his portrayal of the upper class character Adria. Although Adria felt affection for her lower class servant Gladys, she struggles to call her a friend despite their years of companionship. She also asks an enormous favor of Gladys by telling her to guard the mansion against Castro until she can return. After leaving she fails to send Gladys either resources with which to maintain the mansion, or communication of any kind. At the conclusion of the story we learn why Adria has chosen to disconnect herself from her former Cuban life she has strong feelings of bitterness and betrayal. She suspects Gladys of being a revolutionary and plotting to inherit her mansion after she was exiled to the United States. Machado is able to capture our attention by giving his characters compelling emotions and behaviors. They effectively serve to illustrate his beliefs while avoiding

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becoming simple caricatures of Cuban culture. Cubans have a very intriguing history, and Machado is able to draw on his own depth of experience to convey his message in a believable fashion. Especially interesting is the division in Cuban culture created by Fidel Castros revolution. Early Cuban immigrants to the United States were mostly professional and upper class; they were also aided by the United States Government as victims of communism (Heyck). As a result they quickly naturalized and established themselves in a position to aid later waves of immigrants (Heyck). These Cuban Americans are very politically active voting conservatively and taking action against Castro and his communist organization (Heyck). Many choose not to even go back and visit the family they left behind in Cuba (Eckstein, Barberia). The experience of being exiled from ones homeland clearly has a lasting impact, and creates a grudge of ill will not easily forgiven. This divide is illustrated in The Cook by the eventual division between Adria and Gladys. We can also see the importance of duty and tradition to Cuban culture by the dedication both Gladys and Carlos have to their beliefs. The cultural divide between Cubans is a challenge that will need continual work to heal & bridge. Already many first wave Cuban immigrants are becoming more open and tolerant toward visiting family members who remain in Cuba (Eckstein, Barberia). We can hope that these seeds of camaraderie and forgiveness grow into a greater sense of unity in the Cuban communities.

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Works Cited Eckstein, Susan, and Lorena Barberia. "Cuban-American Cuba Visits: Public Policy, Private Practices." The Inter-University Committee on International Migration. Proc. of Migration Seminar Series, MIT's Center for International Studies, Cambridge, MA. MIT, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/migration/pubs/mellon/5_cuba.pdf>.

Heyck, Denis Lynn Daly. "Latino Cultures in the United States." Barrios and Borderlands:

Cultures of Latinos and Latinas in the United States. New York: Routledge, 1994.
N. pag. Print.

Machado, Eduardo. The Cook. New York: S. French, 2004. Print. Machado, Eduardo, and Michael Domitrovich. Tastes like Cuba: An Exile's Hunger for

Home. New York, NY: Gotham, 2007. Print.