Rafael’s Car Symbol Analysis

When Celia Toro’s sister, who still lives in Panamá, receives a large sum of money in a divorce settlement, she offers to send ten thousand dollars of it to Celia and Rafael. Rafael immediately decides that the money should be used to buy a car and, despite Celia’s protests, the family heads to a used car dealership and purchases a Volkswagen Rabbit. The car becomes a symbol of the American dream in all its complexity—much like America, the car promises freedom, mobility, and status, but its ability to provide these things is limited. For example, Rafael is afraid to drive the car as fast and confidently as he wants to because he doesn’t want to be pulled over by the police, who “automatically think you’ve done something wrong if you’re black or if you’re brown.” This shows that simply having a car—like simply being in America—does not guarantee a person status or freedom. Mayor, too, has high hopes for the car, but not only is he an unlicensed driver, he is also forbidden from going into the car at all while grounded. The car’s development as a symbol therefore parallels the characters’ realizations about the complicated nature of the American dream. When Mayor steals the car in order to take Maribel for a drive in the snow, he regains a measure of agency, and the car once again symbolizes freedom and opportunity. However, when he and Maribel return home and receive news that Arturo has been shot and killed, it’s clear that the car was a factor that led to the tragedy. Mayor therefore sees the car as a representation of his guilt over Arturo’s death, which he thinks occurred in part because of his own selfish desire to possess the false freedom the car promised.