Analysis Of Orange By Gary Soto

Winter Orange When thinking of the classic first date, it always starts with two nervous, lovesick pre-teenagers. They go out to see a movie and walk through the park with slight embarrassment, but go home and squeal with relief and excitement. They forget how nervous they were and feel enlightened with the deeper connection forged with their potential partner. Much like the classic first date, “Oranges”, by Gary Soto, narrates a young boy’s first walk through winter with a girl. “Oranges” shows the workings of a small town date and how a young boy gets to know a girl. This poem illustrates how love sheds uneasiness through intimacy. As the walk progresses, the little pictures of their lives share more of themselves with each other. As they get

The boy notices the “frost cracking/Beneath” his steps and his “breath/Before” him as it blows away. Him focusing on everything he is doing shows his self-consciousness around the girl. The descriptions of light and color show the boy warming up to the girl and gaining confidence. First, the boy describes her house as “the one whose/Porch light burned yellow/Night in day”. This shows that her house is a beacon of warmth and comfort that he wants to get to know. It is comforted by it familiarity and its connection to the girl. As the girl’s dog runs up to them, the boy notices her “face bright/With rouge”. He starts to notice and cherish these observations as he sees them in a new light. He sees them with intimacy rather than mindless observation. When they make it to the drug store to get candy, Soto describes how the boy perceives the “light in her eyes” and her smile “starting at the corners/Of her mouth”. Again, this shows him learning more of her, and wanting to know more about her. Once he realizes he doesn’t have the money to pay for the chocolate the girl wants, the boy hands the cashier a nickel and an orange. Soto describes the interaction between the boy and the cashier, “The lady’s