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Symbols
The white raincoat that Mami buys for Sotomayor to take to Princeton symbolizes Sotomayor’s burgeoning adult identity and her coming of age. This is the first—and practically only—piece of clothing that Sotomayor ever falls in love with. In Mami’s eyes, this suggests that Sotomayor is becoming more comfortable finding her own style and dressing up—something that Mami, who loves fashion, is thrilled about. Even more importantly though, Sotomayor and Mami purchase the raincoat for Sotomayor to take to Princeton, where Sotomayor will begin her higher education and enter the adult world. The adult world that Sotomayor eventually inhabits, however, is very different from Mami’s adult world—Sotomayor makes more money even in her low-paying jobs than Mami ever does as a nurse—and the expensive, luxurious, and white coat symbolizes Sotomayor’s transition into that world of wealth and privilege.
The Raincoat Quotes in My Beloved World
The My Beloved World quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Raincoat. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14
Quotes
There it was: glowing white with toggle buttons and subtle flair of fake fur trim up the front and around the hood. As improbably white as a white couch, white as a blanket of snow on a college lawn.
“You like it, Sonia?”
“I love it, Mami.” This was another first. Unlike my mother, or Chiqui, or my cousin Miriam, or so many of my friends, I’d never cared enough to fall in love with a garment. But wrapped in this, I knew I wouldn’t feel so odd.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire My Beloved World LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Raincoat Symbol Timeline in My Beloved World
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Raincoat appears in My Beloved World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 14
...college. This is nothing new; everyone hates Sonia’s shoes. She plans to buy a new raincoat, however, and Mami takes Sonia shopping. After a long search, Sonia falls in love with...
(full context)
