18 pages • 36 minutes read
Problems with Hurricanes
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Symbols & Motifs
Hurricanes
The hurricane symbolizes the things in life that humans usually notice and tend to worry about. Hurricanes are massive events that can cause widespread destruction and even death. However, the poem is not called “Hurricane Problems,” but “Problems with Hurricanes.” The campesino reveals that the problems with hurricanes are not the things one would usually think of: the high winds, flooding, and the noise of the natural disaster. Instead, sometimes the most damaging problems are the little things that come as a byproduct of the hurricane—the flying fruit. In this way, the hurricanes of the poem’s title represent the dramatic events or problems that can distract humans from noticing the smaller, more insidious elements in their lives that could ultimately cause just as much, if not more, destruction than the “big” things.
In the end, hurricanes can represent any issue a person might go through. Cruz is warning his readers to keep their heads up when these storms come, to honor their power, and to watch out for the things they might not necessarily think can hurt them.
The Campesino
The campesino symbolizes traditional knowledge and the power of simplicity. On the surface, he appears to be a simple rural figure, but his words carry significance and consequence, as he reveals some wisdom that many would find easy to overlook. That Cruz chooses to describe him with the only Spanish word in the poem is a way for him to honor his native culture while showing readers the power of folk wisdom.
The campesino both understands nature well and yet remains humble enough to also recognize his own limitations. When he removes his hat as a sign of respect for the force of the hurricane’s winds in the poem’s final stanza, he is acknowledging his own relative powerlessness in the face of nature’s forces. The campesino therefore represents both wisdom and humility: He offers advice about being alert to hidden dangers while also advocating for being aware of one’s own vulnerability in the natural world and in the grand scheme of things.
The Fruit
In this poem, seemingly harmless fruit become dangerous projectiles. The fruit symbolizes all of the dangers in life that are not always immediately apparent to the unsuspecting individual, including things that may even appear appealing at first glance. The campesino’s warning to “beware of mangoes / And all such beautiful / sweet things” (Lines 33-35, emphasis added) turns the fruit into a representation of anything in life that may seem “beautiful” and “sweet” but which can be harmful under certain circumstances. While the imagery of the flying fruit creates moments of humor in the poem, the campesino characterizes death by flying fruit as “the ultimate disgrace” (Line 24), suggesting that the worst kind of injury occurs when one is caught unawares by a threat that one was too naïve or unobservant to notice.
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