Themes for 'Liberty' and 'Exile'

'Liberty' and 'Exile' are two pieces of writing by Julia Alvarez. However, 'Liberty' is written as a short story while 'Exile' was written as a poem. Both share a story (and subject) of political exile. A common theme for both stories would be that the reality of political exile could often be too complicated and dangerous for children to understand, so the way they perceive it would be different, but somehow also true to horror of exile. However, differently, in 'Liberty', the main character knows that the family is leaving, and is sad to leave her most prized possession, Liberty the dog, behind. The theme for 'Liberty' would be that sometimes facing tough situations require sacrifices, but for the purpose of a greater, more symbolic need. On the other hand, for 'Exile', the main character was kept in the dark about the purpose of their 'family trip' although she could sense something wrong. In the poem, the main character's family is all fleeing to America, but when they get there, although they found freedom, they were not truly happy. The theme for 'Exile' would be leaving your homeland is diificult, but sometimes necessary, no matter the challenges you will face.