Polaroid from "610 North, 610 West"

The Polaroid photo of Nicolás and Javi that Nicolás takes from his father's mistress's house is a symbol of his relationship with his brother and the family unity that he longs for. Nicolás takes it back because he is angry that his father would take it to this other woman's house, a woman partly responsible for the fracture of his parents' marriage, and because there are very few pictures of Nicolás and Javi together actually getting along.

Plantains from "Shepherd"

The plantains that Chris and his family have for dinner on Gloria's first night in the United States are a symbol of the immigrant family's ongoing connection to Jamaica. Chris remembers his mother telling Gloria, "We were away from the island in body, but never in heart" (48). Small details like these illustrate the ways in which immigrants keep the...