History Literature / SweetDiamondDust

%%%% the novella

* BittersweetEnding: Carlotta is expelled from school and traumatized by Mother Artigas's attack and Merceditas sacrifices all the academic honors she worked for. But she has put Mother Artigas in her place and she knows Carlotta will be fine. Despite her expulsion.

* SternNun: Mother Artigas.

* UnreliableNarrator.

* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Nicolás and Arístides. Nicolas attends a university in Europe where he studies art; the more pragmatic Arístides studies agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico to assist the FamilyBusiness.

* BittersweetEnding: Carlotta is expelled from school left traumatized by Mother Artigas's attack and Merceditas sacrifices all the academic honors she worked for. But she has put Mother Artigas in her place.

* EvilSmellsBad: Less evil, more "classist, snobby, and racist". After Mercedita's strange punishment for hiding the mango, she starts noticing a strange smell in the halls. Both she and Carlotta, who also notices it, agree that it seems to be stronger whenever they are close to a nun.

* AlternateHistory: Here, the United States is no longer interested in the territory of Puerto Rico. It ends up becoming an independent republic by the name of San Juan Bautista (the name given to Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus).
* Foil: Captain Candelario and Pedro are foils to each other. The former comes from a very wealthy family and is highly educated. Pedro comes from a slum.

* DomesticAbuse: Don Julio towards his wife, Doña Elvira. After they move out from the city, she asks for things that will make the home nicer, like a bathtub or a flush toilet, and he refuses. When he reaches his RageBreakingPoint, he beats her and tells her to stay away from his business.

* LetThePastBurn: Gloria sets the old home on fire, destroying Don Hermenegildo's manuscript (and potentially killing him) and encourages Titina to join and watch.

* UnreliableNarrator: We get to hear Don Hermenegildo, Arístides, Titina, Doña Laura and finally Gloria.

* ClothingDamage: After giving Carlotta her TraumaticHaircut Mother Artigas tears up her school uniform.

** Merceditas is punished for having accepted a mango as a gift from Carlotta by having to keep it inside her school desk during the rest of the school ''year'' and watching it ripen and finally rot.

* TraumaticHaircut: Mother Artigas cuts off Carlotta’s hair before the latter leaves the school. This is a spiteful gesture on her part, as Carlotta is carnival queen.

* TheReveal: Don Julio was not the fair-skinned, green-eyed Spaniard that his daughter-in-law Laura had been led to believe he was, but rather dark-skinned and dark-eyed, indicating that he is at least part Black.

* BittersweetEnding: Carlota is left traumatized by Mother Artigas's attack and Merceditas sacrifices all the academic honors she worked for. But she has put Mother Artigas in her place.
* ClothingDamage: After giving Carlota her TraumaticHaircut Mother Artigas tears up her school uniform.

** Merceditas is punished for having accepted a mango as a gift from Carlota by having to keep it inside her school desk during the rest of the school ''year'' and watching it ripen and finally rot.
** Just before Carlota leaves the school, the Mother Artigas attacks her, chopping off her hair and delivering both a beatdown and a TheReasonYouSuck speech complete with a racial slur.
* DeathGlare: When Merceditas grabs Mother Artigas's hand to stop her attack of Carlota, the mother steps back and delivers one.
* EvilSmellsBad: Less evil, more "classist, snobby, and racist". After Mercedita's strange punishment for hiding the mango, she starts noticing a strange smell in the halls. Both she and Carlota, who also notices it, agree that it seems to be stronger whenever they are close to a nun.

* TraumaticHaircut: Mother Artigas cuts off Carlota's hair before the latter leaves the school. This is a spiteful gesture on her part, as Carlota is carnival queen.

* LetThePastBurn: Gloria sets the old home on fire and encourages Titina to join and watch.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Don Julio was not the fair-skinned, green-eyed Spaniard that his daughter-in-law Laura had been led to believe he was, but rather dark-skinned and dark-eyed.]]

* BittersweetEnding: Carlota is left traumatized by Mother Artigas's attack and Merceditas sacrifices all the academic honors she worked for. But she has put Mother Artists in her place.

* EvilSmellsBad: Less evil, more "classist, snobby, and racist". After Mercedita's strange punishment for hiding the mango, starts noticing a strange smell in the halls. Both she and Carlota, who also notices it, agree that it seems to be stronger whenever they are close to a nun.

* DomesticAbuse: Don Julio towards his wife, Do&ntilde Elvira.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Nicolás and Arístides.

* TraumaticHaircut: Mother Artigas cuts off Carlota's hair before the latter leaves the school. This is a spiteful gesture on her part, as Carlota is carnival crime.

* ClothingDamage: After giving Carlota her TraumaticHaircut Mother Superior tears up her school uniform.

** Just before Carlota leaves the school, the Mother Superior attacks her, chopping off her hair and delivering both a beatdown and a TheReasonYouSuck speech complete with a racial slur.
* SternNun: Mother Superior.
* TraumaticHaircut: Mother Superior cuts off Carlota's hair before the latter leaves the school.

''Sweet Diamond Dust'', by Puerto Rican author Creator/RosarioFerre, collects in a single book the novel by the same title and three short stories. It was published in Spanish in 1987as ''Maldito amor'' ("Cursed love" or "Damned love") and translated by the author herself.

** Merceditas is punished for having accepted a mango as a gift from Carlotta by having to keep it in her school desk during the rest of the school ''year'' and watching it ripen and finally rot.

* SternNun: MotherSuperior.

'''Tropes

''Tropes

* DisproportionateRetribution: Merceditas is punished for having accepted

[[foldercontrol]
[[folder:Sweet Diamond Dust]

[[folder:The Gift]

[[folder:Isolda's Mirror]

[[folder:The Strange Death of Captain Candelario)]