How does the author use symbolism in the novel, The Whites?

Milton Ramos places a red hand print on Carlos’s jacket as a way to intimidate and harass Billy and Carmen. Jimmy Whelan fittingly refers to the red hand print as the “mark of the Beast,” a reference to the Devil and to evil. The red hand print is not only symbolic of evil and the Devil. It also represents the guilt that Carmen feels because of the blood on her hands. The blood on her hands is the blood of Milton’s dead family members.