Oranges

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1985

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Porch Light

When the boy goes to pick up the girl, he mentions two things about her home: the barking “dog” (Line 12) and the “Porchlight” (Line 10) that “burned yellow / Night and day, in any weather” (Lines 10-11). The glow of the porch light is the first thing boy describes as brightly colored. Further, the fact that this lamp remains on “in any weather” (Line 11) makes it's light a beacon even on gloomy, gray days like the present one—a symbol of comfort and consistency.

Though the poem's other colorful light, the boy's fire-like oranges at this point are still hidden in his jacket, these two sources of illumination will be linked by the poem's end. The yellow of the porch light will be echoed by the orange “fire” (Line 56) that the boy will later seem to make in his hands—two sources of flame and heat that accompany the boy's early romantic successes.

Candy Tiers

The boy’s simple notation of the store’s array of candy being “Tiered like bleachers” (Line 26) indicates how important the products are to him in the moment. They are arranged on the shelf in rows or levels that are placed one above the other, like sports fans in bench seats. Taken together with the looming saleswoman and the store's narrow aisles makes this crowded candy display add to the economic claustrophobia the boy experiences in the store: He feels watched and judged much like an athlete is watched during a game. Will he score points by being able to afford the candy that his date picks out, even if she reaches for the expensive chocolate from the top row?

Fire

At the end of “Oranges,” the boy suggests that his “orange / That was so bright” (Lines 51-52) might seem to an observer to be “a fire in my hands” (Line 56). This image exemplifies the poem’s major themes in several significant ways. Fire can symbolize the sparking of an idea—here, this flame celebrates the boy’s quick thinking regarding payment in the store. Fire can also symbolize passion, which makes sense—the boy peels the bright orange after winning the girl he likes, and its vivid color is an outward display of his romantic triumph. As a symbol of hope, the warming fire shows that the boy has delivered on the girl's expectations of good things happening despite the “gray of December” (Line 53). Finally, fire can symbolize sacrifice. The boy eats the orange because he willingly gave up being able to buy himself candy to ensure the girl’s happiness. In this way, he doesn’t just hold something that looks like fire, he symbolically harnesses its attributes.