The Great Divide

Imperialism is defined as the use of military force, foreign policy, and diplomacy to extend the power of a particular country beyond its borders. While imperialism can, in the case of the British empire, take the form of one nation state amassing a collection of colonies, it can also take the form of one nation, like the United States, exerting control over foreign governments without directly invading their countries. The impact of imperialism on Panama and various other nations in the Caribbean and Central America is one of this novel’s most overt themes. Cristina Henríquez’s roots are in Panama, and she depicts the way that both European and North American imperialism have shaped her country’s history. This novel engages with imperialism directly through the context that it provides for the canal project and through the way that it depicts exploitive labor practices and the displacement of Panamanian citizens to make way for the canal.

The novel begins with an introduction to Francisco, a Panamanian fisherman who staunchly opposes the canal project. This grounds the novel not only within the story of a working-class Panamanian character but also within an anti-imperialist ideological framework. As the