Act 1, Scene 2 Summary

Scene 2 is set in the aging cigar factory. Chechy clashes with the newly arrived Juan Julian, and Ofelia steps in to make it clear that this new lector is here to stay. They talk about the workers' interest in hearing novels read aloud. Ofelia explains to Juan Julian who Chechy is and why he resents lectors; his wife ran away with a lector years before. Juan Julian describes the differences between Tampa and Cuba, which he boils down to a matter of light. The women are nervous, but Juan Julian is confident and polite. Chechy informs Ofelia about her husband's gambling debt, which is documented on his shoe. She dismisses him.

Act 1, Scene 2 Analysis

Scene 2 begins to clarify the lector's role in a Cuban cigar factory, to educate and inform the workers as they perform their intricate, repetitive tasks. The scene...