Carlos's Car

Carlos's red sports car symbolizes familial connection. After his father dies, he buys the car with his life insurance money, believing his father would love the car as much as he does. Throughout the novel, whenever Carlos talks about the car, he also talks about his father. His eagerness to protect and preserve the car illustrates his desire to preserve the memory of his father as well. Despite the time that has passed since his father's death, and Carlos's frequent inability to talk about it, the author uses the car to prove his continued attachment to and longing for his father.

Spice

Throughout the novel the varied types of spice that Nik and Carlos use in cooking and share through food, represent those commonalities that fortify interpersonal connections. While not every appreciates the extreme spices that Nik and Carlos consume, the characters find a mutual...