Snake

The snake Mari dreams is wrapping around her mother symbolizes the evil that could befall her mother during her attempt to travel to and from Mexico. Snakes are an ancient symbol of evil, and Mari’s mother could have died from something out in nature or a person intent on harming her, or she could have been captured by the authorities.

Birds

Birds are associated with Mari, and this symbolizes the way in which she does not have one home. She traveled from Mexico to the United States when she was a child, and then she left Carolina del Norte with her family to go to Vermont. Her father and uncles have memories of Mexico, and her sisters are American, but she has no true home.

Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola the younger two Cruz girls drinks symbolizes how American the girls are. They have never been to...