Cuba

Cuba is the island destination of Arthur Hill’s flight in the closing sequence, a setting that gives his journey an abrupt change of scale: after the violence he has already caused, he arrives still intent on reaching the person he truly wants. The scene presents the country less as a developed setting than as a threshold for what he plans to do next.

Setting and Arrival

The flight takes place after relations between Cuba and the United States have been normalized. Arthur is not travelling as a tourist seeking classic cars or cigars; the narration emphasizes that his purpose is violent and personal. During the flight, he keeps his sunglasses on and places his black garment bag across from him, as though the suit inside were another passenger.

As the plane begins its descent, Arthur worries that the pilot has recognized him, whether from earlier flights or the news. That brief recognition prompts him to unbuckle despite the landing announcement and slip into the cramped bathroom. He changes into a jumpsuit and puts on his mask, then waits for touchdown and taxiing to finish.

The Island as a Point of Entry

Arthur expects to face little airport infrastructure after landing. The aircraft is a very light jet, and he believes there will be no ground crew to contend with; his immediate problem will be finding a way off the runway or out of the hangar. The knife in his hand makes the practical details of arrival part of a larger, imminent threat, though the passage does not identify his intended target in Cuba.

Narrative Significance

Cuba marks the continuation of Arthur’s pursuit beyond the events in Kettle Springs. He recognizes that treating revenge as a business and delegating it was his mistake, and repeats the principle that he must handle the matter himself. The arrival therefore carries both logistical and thematic weight: the destination offers a possible route onward, while Arthur’s repeated resolve signals that the violence he has directed at others has not settled the one grievance that matters most to him.