The poetry of Jose Martí

For many members of the Zamora family, the poetry of the famed Cuban poet Jose Martí represents the passion and commitment behind loving one another. After many members of the Zamora family regularly read Martí, Arturo is eventually inspired to share his own poetry at the city council meeting.

Urns

In the opening scene, the Zamora family has their traditional Sunday with a number of urns, containing the remains of deceased family members, which represents the closeness of the extended Zamora family. The final scene of the novel returns to this image, as the family scatters Abuela's ashes in the canal.

Dishwashing machine

The dishwashing machine that Arturo is assigned to work with at the beginning of the summer represents the unofficial apprenticeship that his family is guiding him through, in order to keep the restaurant in the family for future generations...