The Farm

The farm in Cuba is the place where Engle feels most like the person she wants to be. It the place where her grandmother and great-grandmother were born and where her mother grew up. After Cuba comes under Communist rule, the farm is confiscated.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the city in California near the town where Engle and her family live when Engle is a preteen and young teenager.

Palm-Leaf Raincoat

The palm-leaf raincoat is a symbol of desire. When Engle and her family leave Mexico, the only souvenir she wants is a palm-leaf raincoat. She wants this coat because it is the sort of coat that Pancho, the boy who rides the donkey, wears. Engle envies Pancho because he has a donkey.

Packages from Cuba

The packages from Cuba represent suspicion. During the beginning of unsettled relations between Cuba and the United States, Mami...