Oranges

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1985

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Appreciating Small Beauties

In a life of small means, beauty takes on even more weight. The effectiveness of “Oranges” relies on this. The poem opens with a set of depressing realities. It is set on a dreary winter day in California, where the landscape is foggy, icy, and unforgiving, and made worse by the fact that the boy only has a “jacket” (Line 4) rather than a warm coat. He carries a single “nickel in [his] pocket” (Line 31), which means he can only afford one piece of candy for the girl he likes—and that the pricier candy bars are out of his reach. On their walk, the boy and girl pass a “used car lot” (Line 18), which suggests that they are in a run-down neighborhood with few attractions.

Soto deliberately uses these images to contrast, and thus heighten, the small beauties the boy sees—objects that are infused with light and color that enliven the day and the boy’s spirit. The girl’s house is illuminated by a “Porchlight that burned yellow [...] in any weather” (Lines 10-11). The girl has blushed her cheeks “bright / With rouge” (Lines 14-15), adding cheerful color to her face and wordlessly indicating her reciprocated romantic interest in the boy. On their walk, they see “newly planted trees” (Line 19), which suggest a green growth that will come. The lighted interior of the drugstore shows off the bright wrappers of candy, advertising their sweet possibility. Most significantly, the oranges that first “weighted down” (Line 3) the boy are transformed: One becomes payment, and the other an alternate snack the boy can eat as his date enjoys the chocolate he managed to secure. As the boy peels it, he compares it to “a fire in my hands” (Line 56). By the end, he has warmed the gray day for the girl and himself.

The Kindness of Strangers

The unsung heroine of Soto’s poem is the saleswoman who risks her job security to be generous to the poem's speaker. When the girl’s candy “cost a dime” (Line 33), the boy has a dilemma. He wants to impress his date, but he doesn't have enough money to pay for this treat, risking ruining his date completely if he tells the girl to put the chocolate back in favor of a cheaper candy. In a gamble, the boy takes a “nickel / From my pocket, then an orange” (Lines 35-36) and gives them to the saleswoman. By all rights of fair purchase, the woman should refuse this: An orange isn’t coin. However, the cold materialism of the transaction is suddenly interrupted by a moment of human empathy, as in a burst of wordless communication, “the lady’s eyes met mine / And held them, knowing” (Line 39-40). The line break here builds tension. Does the woman think he’s trying to pull one over on her? Or does she know he’s pleading with her to understand his desire to impress the girl? When the girl later “unwrap[s] the chocolate” (Lines 50), we know that the woman’s decision privileged generosity over strict economic rules. Instead of humiliating the boy, she chose kindness, accepting the half-payment. We are meant to conclude that either she paid the extra five cents herself, or didn't record the transaction, possibly risking her own job. While the boy ends the poem seeming to make “a fire in my hands” (Line 56), symbolically triumphing in his chivalry, it’s important to remember that it’s really the saleswoman who gives him the symbolic match to light it.

Quick Thinking

The boy in “Oranges” is a proactive thinker throughout the poem. First, he plans ahead. He intends to take the girl to the store, but knowing he only has five cents to spend, he prepares by bringing “two oranges” (Line 4) just in case the girl chooses a candy that costs that full amount, or if she'd prefer a piece of fruit to the drugstore treat he is about to offer. Once in the store, tension builds because the girl chooses a more expensive sweet—a chocolate that costs “cost a dime” (Line 33) rather than candy that the boy can afford. This turn of events could spell disaster, but the boy swiftly hits on a makeshift solution. He presents his nickel and one of his oranges as payment to the woman behind the counter, communicating his distress and hope with a meaningful glance. While this gambit's success depends on the sales clerk’s approval, the boy’s plan shows that he is quick-witted. His bold cleverness makes the reader root for his success. His preparedness and fast thinking win the piece of candy—and the girl, too.