The unfortunate lass would then to be tied to the nearest immovable object to be beaten, flogged, and publicly humiliated. If a woman is found to be not a virgin at the time of the bedding then the poor lass is dragged out of the hut, kicking and screaming, ironically, by her now outraged relations many of whom were likely guests celebrating with her during the wedding ceremony.
The smoke effectively becomes a metaphor for a woman’s virginity-ironically, a woman’s virginity becomes another metaphor in and of itself because of the other half of the ritual that is enacted in the unfortunate event that no fire is lit, and no smoke is produced. The new couple, after consummating the union, will light a fire and make black, sooty smoke emanate from their house indicating that the wife has entered into the marriage in a state of virginal purity, ergo, no smoke would mean that the wife has not been chaste. This sign that they seek is a plume of black smoke wafting from the hut. The author-narrator recalls a tradition carried out in their community where newly married couples are ushered into a hut and encouraged to have sex with all the wedding guests and relatives hanging around the hut waiting for a sign of the bride’s virginity. Macario on the other hand embodies hope in that he is “ the smart one” in the family, the sole child spared from the drudgery of farm work but given the immense pressure of shouldering the hopes of his entire family to bring them out of poverty. In America, a person can rise above his circumstances through hard work and perseverance this was what was “ advertised” at least. These two disparate concepts both operate as a metaphor for hope and betterment. The author-narrator, and by extension his family, put their hopes in two things: America and Macario. In spite of the difficulties and indignities that the author-narrator endures there is a clear and definite thread of optimism. You can only play if your parents can afford to let you play. If you are poor then you work as soon as you can stand.
His abrupt introduction into the working world paralleled with the equally abrupt cessation of play-in effect his childhood-is a loud, poignant message: playing and having fun is the activity of children and/or the rich. The capacity to do work has always been the measurement of a person’s maturity at the tender age of 5 he is commanded to do away with playing so that he can help his father out on the farm. In this narrative a recurring theme that is used as a metaphor for maturity and in a strange, indirect way, poverty, is work. The novel can be described as a deeply personal bildungsroman of the author-narrator. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
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