BELLOWS FALLS — In the humid air, people line up along the streets, solemnly holding up the blue, white, and red flag, a tribute to their fallen idol.
An ocean away, people crowd the roads, cheering, drinking, and shooting off red, white, and blue firecrackers, celebrating the demise of that very same ruler.
Such vastly different reactions to the death of a leader call into question the legacy he leaves behind. How will people remember him? As a brutal tyrant who destroyed the lives of his people, or as a vigorous revolutionary who fought for their freedom?
On Nov. 25, 2016, revolutionary leader and Cuban president Fidel Castro passed away at the age of 90. Now we, the general public, find ourselves wondering if his death comes as good news or bad news. To understand his legacy, we must know his history - the good and the bad.
* * *
Fidel Castro's social impact began when, as a young man, he became immersed in politics and planned to run for government. However, the election was cancelled when General Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government and began his reign as a dictator.
In the following years, Castro made connections with revolutionaries like Che Guevara. Together, they created a military campaign to overthrow Batista and, in 1959, they successfully collapsed his government.
After this coup, Castro was welcomed with loud cheers to Havana, the country's capital. He accepted the position of prime minister and, over the next 50 years, he established relations with the Soviet Union and implemented communist practices in Cuba.
In 2008, Fidel Castro gave up the presidency to his younger brother Raúl and retired.
Though it was years since he has been in power, his death has struck the nation and ignited varied responses on a global scale. Cuba declared nine days of mourning for the leader, and thousands of Cubans crowded the streets of Havana, holding up the Cuban flag and chanting, “Viva Fidel” (Long live Fidel).
Outside of Cuba, however, thousands of Cuban exiles celebrated the death of a tyrant responsible for ruining the lives of thousands of people.
With such vastly different reactions to his death, one must acknowledge that perhaps there is more to this dictator than meets the eye.
The fact of the matter is that Castro made many mistakes in his reign, but he also made many good contributions to Cuba. He was neither wholly good nor wholly bad. He brought change, and change can mean salvation for one person - or destruction for another.
Knowing just one side of the story - either side - does not do the dictator justice.
* * *
By the grace of good fortune, I was able to visit Cuba in the summer of 2016 and learn about this famous ruler and how history will remember him.
My trip began with three planes, 12 hours of airport, and 25 pounds of luggage. When I finally left the terminal and reached sunlight, the nation's capital greeted me with vintage powder-blue Chevrolets, palm trees, and 95-degree humidity so dense it slowed me down like a bike shifted into last gear.
After I got used to the heat, I began exploring, sightseeing, touring museums, meeting with local artisan groups, and partaking in workshops. I spent many hours in the Institute of Languages and Literature, listening to lectures on Cuban history.
In a historical sense, Fidel Castro symbolized the turning point in Cuban culture and participation in world government.
The first museum that I visited in Havana was the Museum of the Revolution. Within this presidential palace, bullet holes could still be seen splattered over the marble walls of the grand entrance, a memento from Castro's rebellion against Batista. Tall, golden trimmings lined the floors and ceilings, and the voices of a performing choir rang out from room to room.
The museum gave the impression of a shrine for Fidel Castro. I walked around seeing large posters of Castro smiling, shaking the hands of the people, holding up the Cuban flag, standing with an intimidating lineup of revolutionary soldiers. It was obvious that in this place, he was revered as a savior.
I had a similar impression at the Museum of the Literacy Crusade, not so much from the art as from the stories told by the elderly museum guide.
She spoke of the time before Castro, when the people out in the countryside had no health care and minimal education, and how this all changed when he came into office. Knowledge truly is power, and Castro knew that, in order for the country to achieve its potential, Cuba needed to focus on bettering the people. It was in this way that Castro had his greatest influence.
Castro's revolution promised equality for all citizens: free health care and education, a voice in government, and equal opportunities. The Literacy Crusade worked toward this goal. This movement brought literacy to more than 700,000 people, reducing the country's illiteracy rate from 21 percent to 3.9 percent, the lowest in Latin America.
While in Havana, I talked with some women who, during the movement, went out to rural areas to teach. They spoke with admiration about the nationwide quest for education, and credited Castro's influence for this success.
The early stages of Castro's rule were met with great patriotism for Cuba. He had won over the people's affection with his charismatic, go-getter attitude and with his meteoric rise to power.
He symbolized the heart of the people, and many believed he would bring Cuba into glorious prosperity, though he would lose support in the later years of his presidency.
* * *
In some ways, Fidel Castro fulfilled many of his promises. He worked toward equality and bettered the lives of many Cubans. On the other hand, he was able to enforce his plans for social advancement because he ruled with an iron fist, crushing those who opposed him and pulling his people into international conflict with the Soviet Union and the United States.
It could be argued that a Machiavellian system of leadership is crucial to keep a country afloat, but that doesn't change the fact that thousands of people were put in jail under his aggressive rule: Cubans who spoke out against him, homosexuals, and suspected enemies of the government.
It can also be argued that the revolution changed nothing in terms of overthrowing tyrannical rule, despite his initial fame for overthrowing the tyrannical regime of Batista.
Although the revolution was meant to destroy a corrupt dictatorship and introduce a people's democracy, such a system of equality and freedom became muddled throughout Castro's reign.
Cuba's rise of public education and health care are two points that can be made in his favor, but despite what he did for some, there is a reason that people that view his death as relief.
Castro is frequently blamed for the financial ruin of Cuba. The relations he struck up with the Soviet Union snowballed into a standoff with the United States on Cuban soil, and resulted in a trade embargo that would plummet Cuba's gross domestic product.
The embargo financially crippled the country, forcing it to rely on the charity of other countries. The effect of Castro's financial crisis during the Cold War can still be seen almost 50 years later.
Cuba's economic downfall can be traced back to Castro's decision to partner with the Soviet Union. Their exclusive relationship ignited the cold war with the United States, and when communism crumbled, it left Cuba without a leg to stand on. It lost its predominant trading partner and was shunned by the U.S.
After 33 years of socialism and over $75 billion in military and economic aid from the Soviet Union, Cuba has gone from having one of the highest ranking per-capita incomes to resting in the bottom half of Latin American nations.
* * *
When I was in Cuba, I observed how some people seemed to be thriving under socialist practices. But for the most part, I saw people struggling for work and I saw many failing businesses - small stores with cheap goods and overinflated prices to compensate.
People sat outside their homes on overturned buckets, trying to sell their wares and swindle the tourists, me included. Everyone was just trying to get by in an unsupportive economy.
Thousands of middle-class Cubans were put into poverty by Castro's economic policies. His command-and-control system obliterated the free market. Nationalized business policies forced family-owned companies out and trade embargos put in place during the 1960s isolated the country to its failing economy.
In its heyday, Cuba was one of the most successful and prosperous countries in Latin America. Now, in the wake of Castro's reign, it has fallen behind, leaving the world with only the image of his failures.
In the beginning, Castro was a beacon of hope, paving the way for social advancement, but he faltered many times in his 50 years of presidency. And one consistent hallmark of Castro's legacy was that, throughout his life, he remained a powerful dictator.
As time passes, the world will remember Castro's failures, and Cubans of the revolution will remember his moments of dazzling achievement, but history will remember him as an influential leader of Cuba.