In Garcia's novel, Dreaming in Cuban, the main character, Pilar, an art student, is asked by her mother to paint a picture of the Statue of Liberty. Out of protest Pilar paints the Statue of Liberty in a punk rock style. The crowd is horrified and starts deriding Pilar, but her mother defends her. It is in this defense of Pilar that the this question is answered. The Statue of Liberty stands for 'freedom'. This means freedom on all fronts and that regardless of personal style, gender, ethnicity, religious belief, that all are free to express themselves in this couintry.