Like Jamaica Kincaid’s, “A Small Place”, Vega’s “Cloud Cover Caribbean” is actually a short story. Ana Lydia Vega is a Puerto Rican writer known for her contributions to Caribbean literature. She is celebrated for her short stories, essays, and literary criticism that often explore themes of Caribbean identity, gender, and postcolonialism. Vega’s works are characterized by their vivid imagery, social commentary, and she is recognized for her unique storytelling style that blends folklore, history, and contemporary issues. Her writing has made significant contributions to the literary landscape of the Caribbean and continues to be studied and appreciated by readers and scholars alike.
Vega’s “Cloud Cover Caribbean” is about three men from the Caribbean who meet each other at sea and are all on their way to the United States in hopes of a better life. The first man rescues the other two, but the sea is rough, and they begin to bicker amongst themselves along this journey.
A major and semi-complex theme found here is that of brotherhood. When Antenor, a Haitian, picked up his first passenger, Diogenes, a Dominican, “… each told the other, without either understanding, what he was leaving behind – which was very little – and what he was seeking.” (3) Also, they shared “… the royal pain of being black, Caribbean, and poor…” (3). They then pick up a Cuban named Carmelo who joins the brotherhood. All three have the same goal and a similar background story.
However, this sense of camaraderie is quickly halted when Carmelo calls Antenor a nigger and demands that he gets off his own shoebox to reveal the food and alcohol he had stowed away. When Antenor pretends not to understand these demands, the two men team up against him and physically throw him off to consume his food and drink.
Later on, Carmelo and Diogenes begin to talk amongst themselves in Spanish, and Carmelo gets offended by a statement about Cuban women being known to sell themselves. He retaliates by saying that part of Diogene’s home country looked the same before and after a hurricane hit it, meaning that it is shabby and rundown. This shows that the solidarity between Diogenes and Carmelo has now ended as well. Upon witnessing them quarrel, even Antenor says, “Tout Dominiken se pit.” (4), which, in French, means all Dominicans pit themselves against each other.
In the end, all three men are seen by an outsider as though they are of the same kin. This occurs when a white American pulls them aboard his ship and says, “Get those niggers down there and let the spikes take care of ‘em.” (6). Because the three men do not know English, they do not realize that he sees them all as black/the same. This is a prelude of the treatment they will probably receive once they reach their destination, the United States.
What I find beautiful about Vega’s style of writing is her use of personification. She describes the month of September as an “…agent provocateur of hurricanes.” (1) She then goes on to describe “the boat’s rocking merengue…” (1) to illustrate that the sea is so rough that it resembles dancing. Next, she mentioned “… a sigh of relief that moved the sail to pity.” (2). My favourite line comes after Antenor had his food stolen. It is said, “…his eyes were two black dolls pierced through by enormous needles.” (4). This alludes to voodoo/voodoo dolls, something that his home country of Haiti is known for. It demonstrates just how resentful he is by the actions of the other two.
I love how Vega uses this story to show how colorism and ancestry can divide people of similar culture. The main characters all held their own biases and stereotypes and saw themselves as different from one another. At the end, the reader knows this is not the case, but the main characters have not discovered it quite yet. Vega accomplishes this effortlessly by telling this story in the third person.