Olga Dies Dreaming

Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria both hit Puerto Rico in 2017. In the novel, these events are catalysts for revolution (see the Revolution motif above). In a literal sense, the storms reveal the vulnerability of Puerto Rico to environmental disaster and illustrate the American government’s neglect of the island, which receives much less aid than a state would despite being a US territory. More figuratively, the hurricanes symbolize the building tension in Olga, one that reaches its climax in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

When Hurricane Irma leaves Puerto Rico without electricity, we’re clued into the growing interest in privatization on the island. Though the machinations of the Selbys and Dick, we learn that American corporate interests have pressured Congress to put their interests ahead of those of regular Puerto Ricans. Real estate businesses wish to gain access to Puerto Rican land and to the tax breaks that they can receive from opening up facilities there. Then, when Hurricane Maria hits and Puerto Rico still does not receive necessary resources for recovery, readers understand that FEMA has become a tool for making ordinary Puerto Ricans to leave, so that developers can buy up land on the cheap.

Olga becomes obsessed with watching the hurricanes and feels more connected to her homeland than ever before when it is under threat from these storms. As she watches the news, it “disturb[s] her that people might be dependent on an ad-hoc goods drive being run on Prieto’s cell phone from her OBGYN’s office” (253). Eventually, can no longer keep silent, ranting about the sinister reasons for the government’s lack of response in Puerto Rico while on Good Morning, Later. Ultimately, the hurricanes catalyze Olga’s connection to her heritage.

The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) was a real law passed to install an appointed control board in Puerto Rico after the island defaulted on loans in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis—a default caused in part by corporate tax havens created by Congress in Puerto Rico that have crippled the island’s economy. The board’s creation is demeaning, making it look like the territory cannot govern itself. Moreover, the board immediately becomes rife with corruption.

Blanca tries to convince Prieto to vote against the measure: “It’s not a promise, but a death sentence for our people. […] It’s designed to worsen our people’s lives while stuffing the bankers’ coffers. It forces puertorriqueños to foot a bill run up by gringos and our complicit compatriots” (299). Prieto’s vote in favor of PROMESA weighs upon him, as does the Selbys’ interest in having the board stay in place. Ultimately, however, PROMESA backfires—in the novel’s imagined future, its unfilled promises spur Puerto Ricans to join the Pañuelos Negros.