The hero of La Habanera...Don Pedro? Dr. Nagel? or someone else?

I am going to start this post by going out on a limb, a very very very far limb, and say that I do not think that Don Pedro or Dr. Nagel are the heroes in this film. I am going to do the best I can to clarify why this is without rambling so just bear with me.

First, it is clear that Don Pedro and Dr. Nagel are antagonists to each other in the film, and that, on the surface, one is supposed to identify with Dr. Nagel in his attempt to go to Puerto Rico and not only cure the fever but to get Astree back to Sweden. On the flip side, I see Don Pedro as his antagonist in that he moves in a way that is counter to Dr. Nagel...making it difficult for Dr. Nagel (and Dr. Gomez) to function as doctors, trying to win back the heart of Astree while Dr. Nagel tries to woe her away from him (or, rather, the island), and the simple fact that at the end Don Pedro dies because he has clearly made a counter move against Dr. Nagel that, in effect, seals his own fate (destroying Dr. Nagel's work). However, I think it is important to distinguish the two in their own right. Dr. Nagel, as we know, goes to Puerto Rico in order to find a cure for the fever...he does this. He also goes at the request of the Aunt to get Astree back...naturally, he falls for her, she for him but only at the end, he brings her back. But what does he do, what does he really do, that is so heroic beyond these two things? He spends 11 days? in Puerto Rico finding a cure (he and Gomez are obsessed with finding a cure), they find it, and then he leaves...and even though his work is destroyed he could not stay and figure out the cure again and help those who are sick? What was so important at the outset, finding the cure for the fever, is unimportant in his need to be with Astree. The progression of the movie, when one really thinks about it, has nothing to do with the fever....the fever is simply a way to move the greater story along and to constrast the two men and their actions.

On the flip side, we have Don Pedro. To discuss him, I refer to what our classmate Sven says about him. Sven writes, "Knowing that if the international press writes about the disease, the international trade would stop and there with much more people would die of hunger than of the disease he tries to prevent Sven [Dr. Nagel] and his fellow from doing their research. His decisions are based on rationality and his death is just another sacrifice he was ready to give for his cause – a motive that can be found in many other deaths of great heroes. " I couldn't have said it better myself. In essence, Don Pedro, the glorified leader who we see on the horse at the beginning on the movie, is simply reacting to circumtances and is looking out for his people... certainly a noble and heroic feat. However, in being so rational in wanting to help his people he seals their fate which we see embodied in his fate...death at the hands of the fever. Again, the fever is simply used as a plot device...it is not about fighting the disease, it is about how the fever moves the Don Pedro-Dr. Nagel story line along. One could probably write a a fascinating paper on how the fever functions in this film...

Now, why do I say that neither of these men are heroes? To truly answer this question, after considering the two men as I have, one must consider one more key element in the plot development surrounding the two...Astree. Astree was lured to the charm of Puerto Rico which is embodied in Don Pedro at the outset...this apparently goes sour quickly. As the island paradise falls apart, so to does Don Pedro. Then, on the flip side, Dr. Nagel is the embodiement of her native Sweden...what says home more than an old friend who used to be a love interest many years ago? On top of this, Dr. Nagel is seen sledding down the stairs with her son, something that her son desperately wants to do but can not do...Dr. Nagel embodies all of the joys of Sweden. Now I can answer the question as to who the hero is...neither of these men are the hero. Instead, I think Astree is the hero. Sure it does not seem that way, but lets think about it. She is lured to the appeal of this paradise (Don Pedro) and then comes to really dislike it as it becomes a miserable relationship that is devoid of true affection and love. On the flip side, Dr. Nagel arrives to bring her back, but she has already made the decision to go back to Sweden with her son even though Don Pedro will do everything in his power to ensure this does not happen. Astree not only recognizes that her heart belongs in Sweden (she falls for Dr. Nagel) but she recognizes the need to bring her son back to Sweden, which clearly (the boy looks incredibly out of place in Puerto Rico given his skin color and hair color...and clothing) is his native homeland. Incredible! Astree, who was so easily lured to this paradise is the one who recognizes the importance of returning to the homeland. Nr. Nagel surely helps in this process, but I feel that she is the one who takes the most heroic steps towards returning. Sure Don Pedro and Dr. Nagel have heroic qualities in their own right, Astree, although conflicted, knows what she must do and goes forth with it.