ðə pɹˈoʊɾɐɡənˌɪst ʌv bˈɑːɹnɪts wˈɜːk, ˈɛstɛbən mɔntˈiːdʒoʊ, kˈʌmz tə ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛnt nˌɑːt ˈoʊnli ðə kəlˈɛktɪv saɪkˈɑːlədʒi ʌv kjˈuːbəz fˈɔːɹmɚ slˈeɪv klˈæs, bˌʌt ˈɔːlsoʊ ðə kəlˈɛktɪv hɪstˈɔːɹɪkəl kˈɑːnʃəs ʌvðɪ ɛntˈaɪɚ kjˈuːbən pˌɑːpjʊlˈeɪʃən.
The protagonist of Barnet’s work, Esteban Montejo, comes to represent not only the collective psychology of Cuba’s former slave class, but also the collective historical conscious of the entire Cuban population.