Olga Dies Dreaming

Olga Dies Dreaming is filled with mentions of revolution, and two revolutions happen within its text. The first is the most obvious: In the future flash forward that ends the novel, Blanca oversees the revolution in Puerto Rico, in which the Pañuelos Negros and their supporters flood the streets and set off bombs to isolate the island from American intervention. The second occurs within Olga in relation to her mother.

The first letter we read from Blanca justifies her reasons for leaving Olga and Prieto to work for liberation in Puerto Rico: “one day my work will make you proud […] And you can take pride, knowing your sacrifice was a part of it” (26). For much of the novel, Olga believes that sacrifice is essential to revolution, but she slowly comes to realize that Blanca decided to sacrifice her children without giving them a choice. Olga has no part in her mother’s revolution; yet she does also feel some pride when it does happen. However, this pride is not about her mother’s involvement; rather it is in seeing Puerto Ricans as a people rise up together.

Blanca describes the revolution as long in the making: “The Yanqui has counted on us being asleep for years, but their neglect and exploitation is slowly waking up all of Borikén, and when they rise from their nap, we will be there” (222).