"The fire in the forging process, like the dragon which the hero must always encounter, is of its very nature antagonistic, but it is also cooperative at the same time. For all its violence, it does not destroy the metal which becomes the sword... The function of the hammer and the anvil is to beat the sword into shape even as the most vicious challengers no less than the most cooperatively rugged sparring mates jab, clinch, and punch potential prize-fighters into championship condition. Heroism, which like the sword is nothing is not steadfast, is measured in terms of the stress and strain it can endure and the magnitude and complexity of the obstacles it overcomes."
-- Albert Murray, The Hero and the Blues, 38
Raquel is a hero because she is accepting of her African heritage. It is very rare that a Spanish person especially from the Dominican Republic is accepting of her black heritage. So rare that it is pioneer like.
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