Virgin Mary
Carlotta likens the smile of one lady on the parole committee's smile to the Virgin Mary. She states, "The white lady with the frosted hair didn't ever say anything, but she smiled—not a big smile, but a steady one. Like the Virgin Mary." The white lady's smile is encouraging and promising for Carlotta. The Virgin Mary's smile in popular paintings exudes love and optimism. Carlotta hopes that in the spirit of sisterhood, the women on the committee will side with her.
Trumpet
While at the parole hearing, Noreen engages in actions that distract the parole hearings. For example, Carlotta narrates, “Everyone heard Noreen sniffle and then blow her nose, making a sound like a broken trumpet.” The noise is disturbing because it makes everyone at the hearing turn and look at her. She lacks etiquette; she should have gone outside and blown her nose there. Her dramatic theatrics depict her as a frantic attention-seeker.
“Path with a Fork”: A Metaphor
Carlotta describes how her life changed upon conviction. She laments, "My life became a path with a fork in it when all that happened, and there's nothing I wish I could do more than go back and take that other road, the one that didn’t lead to no twenty years in prison.” Living in prison for twenty years has been excruciating for Carlotta. Although she expresses deep regret, the twenty years cannot be recovered. Living through the two decades is comparable to walking on sharp forks, which is not a pleasurable experience.
