Metaphor: Lantern
At the very end of the novel Xiomara writes the following in her assignment for Ms. Galiano: "It [her writing] has brought me the most light. And isn't that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark” (357). Xiomara compares her poetry to a lantern, referencing how poetry lights up her world for her. Her life is full of challenge and change, but this metaphor shows how poetry lights the way to new friends and opportunities, just like a lantern illuminates a dark path.
Metaphor: Batista Siblings
“My brother was birthed a soft whistle: / quiet, barely stirring the air, a gentle sound. / But I was born all the hurricane he needed / to lift - and drop- those that hurt him to the ground” (45)
In this metaphor Xiomara compares her and Twin to a whistle and a hurricane, reflecting their very different personalities: her brother is quiet and mild, while she is assertive and much more willing to fight and protect those around her. Her personality makes her like a hurricane, whirling and loud and destructive; Twin is a soft whistle that does not disrupt or destroy.
Simile: Xiomara's Personality
“My parents probably wanted a girl who would sit in the pews / wearing pretty florals and a soft smile. / They got combat boots and a mouth silent / until it’s sharp as an island machete" (8)
Xiomara frequently discusses how she doesn't live up to her parents' expectations for her. Acevedo uses a simile to compare her mouth to a machete, showing how her words have the power to fight back and cut people down if they need to. At this point in the novel, though, Xiomara does not use those words against her parents, as she is usually rendered silent in their domineering presence. That "machete" mouth is reserved for her poetry, the only place she feels like herself.
Metaphor: Xiomara's Heart
" . . . and my heart is one of Darwin's Finches, learning to fly" (145)
The novel follows Xiomara's first romantic relationship, something she always thought was impossible due to her parents' strict rules forbidding her to date. So many of the sensations she feels with Aman are totally new and wondrously exciting to her, and she uses an allusion to what she and Aman were studying in biology together—Darwin and evolution—to explain how she feels about him.
Simile: Jesus
"This year, Mami has filled out the forms, / signed me up, and marched me to church / before I can tell her that Jesus feels like a friend / I’ve had my whole childhood / who has suddenly become brand-new; / who invites himself over too often, / who texts me too much" (13)
Acevedo uses a simile to explain Xiomara's difficult relationship with religion. The conflict of having a friend from childhood that you don't really want to be friends with anymore is a common one for teenagers, and this simile allows readers to easily understand Xiomara's issue with religion—namely, that it feels different from the religion of her childhood. For Xiomara, that "friendship" with Jesus is now more of a burden, something to uncomfortably wish away rather than embrace.
