Metaphor for the Socio-Economic Environment of the Boys
Tomas’ choice of entertainment as well as clandestine source of income is dog fighting and it is an interesting metaphor for how he sees his environment: it is a literal translation of the statement “it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.” The brutal and bloody “sport” of dogfighting is a reflection of his beliefs of what must be done in order for him not just to survive but eventually thrive, that is, that he must achieve two conditions: one, he must become stronger than his oppressors and two, when he has attained that strength he must destroy his oppressors.
Metaphor for Hate and Anger
Crimes and criminality, specifically those that are enacted/perpetrated by Tomas, are a manifestation of his hate and anger. He is angry at society at large for valuing people based solely on their ability to speak in English, angry that he is half-American, angry that he has a brother who chooses kindness over violence, angry at a lot of things but mostly angry about his over all helplessness to affect any large or lasting changes in his or the lives of his family.
Metaphor for Failure
There is an interesting duality to crime and criminality as a metaphor with respect to the characters. For Tomas, it is an articulation of his hate and anger, for Gabe however crime and criminality are a metaphor for failure. Enacting a crime or choosing to take part in him is a failure of humanity, a giving into his baser instincts and a descent into a pathway that has no exit point except the morgue.
Metaphor for innocence
Gabe’s staunch refusal to turn to crime makes him a metaphor for innocence. Tragically however this innocence is short-lived, as the brutal environment he is immersed in seems to conspire to break him and keep him within a cycle of violence.
Metaphor for Identity
Fashion choices are a metaphor for one’s identity, especially in Tomas and Gabe’s neighborhood where ethnically homogeneous gangs often develop their own unique style of dressing to both distinguish themselves from the other groups and to unify and identify their members. Ika’s alarm at Tomas’ choice of fashion--“Mexican-style” clothing--is not unfounded. Gangs tend to be quite protective of their unique “look” and when an outsider, in this case a half-white, half-Filipino young man, adopts their fashion to an attempt to integrate might achieve the opposite effect. In adopting their fashion sense Tomas also asserts without words that he is now officially no different from these thugs.
