Symbolism In Oranges By Gary Soto

Materialistic objects can become powerful symbolic meanings to an individual. The sentimental symbolism behind the objects does not take into account the amount it was worth at moment of purchase, but rather, the background, meaningful story behind it. Gary Soto, an American poet, in his poem “Oranges” depicts the impact of the symbolism behind two oranges upon a twelve year old boy and his young, premature love with a girl. In order to showcase the oranges’ power of hope upon the purity of a young love that goes through adversary, Soto invokes the use of diction, symbolism, and juxtaposition which formulate his literary piece into a literary merit value. To begin with, Soto portrays the purity of the young love through diction that establishes

Lines 1-5 present two oranges at the time the protagonist is “Cold” and “weighted down.” Soto makes this contrast between the weather’s coldness and the oranges warmthness in order to show how the speaker’s environment has no impact upon him as long as the oranges are with him as a symbol of hope ,urging against any adversary his environment can bring along the way. Then, it is December and in the middle of the protagonist’s “frost cracking”, his lover’s house is illuminated by a “burned yellow” porch light. The visual imagery of the house reveals the lover’s house symbolism of hope upon the speaker; the girl’s house being an illumination and guidance for the young boy in the middle of a cold December. At this point, the house can serve as a metaphor for the oranges, both revealing hope for the young boy. Soto brings about this parallelism in order to reveal the connection between an illuminated house and the warmth of two oranges: a childhood memory of Soto seeking illumination and comfort through what oranges could bring

Here, it is evident how the oranges’ symbolism of hope comes into action. The oranges allowed the boy to pursuit his happiness with the girl even though he lacks the money to please her wants. The coins are juxtaposed with the oranges in order to reveal each of their true value. On one spectrum, the coins label a price in happiness; however, the oranges reveal the purity and hope in having a young illusion in love. Soto formulated this juxtaposition in order to reveal how the light of the oranges prove that there is no obstacle that can’t be resolved as long as hope in love is present. Such is the effect that the background to the oranges gave Soto in his childhood; therefore, making the poem an author anecdote. Soto’s parents worked in San Joaquin Valley in Fresno, California picking crops such as oranges, as a child where his father died in an accident, leaving Soto and the rest of his family in poverty. Soon after, Soto worked in industrial and agricultural jobs. Taking this into account, Soto can be portrayed through the speaker in the poem. In the same matter, the poem can derive a poor boy conquering the love of a wealthy girl through the hope in the symbolism of the oranges. After all, the girl owns a pet which symbolizes her ability to afford it, while the boy can’t even afford a chocolate. Soto incorporated