“I remember the rise and fall of her voice, the sighs, and her constantly gesturing hands, like two birds swooping through her words.”- “Casa”
Mama amplifies her stories by means of hand motions. The gesticulations underscore the message that Mama is disseminating to the audience.
“while absorbing it all in a sort of unspoken agreement of my status as silent auditor”- “Casa”
The metaphor of ‘a silent auditor’ refers to Judith Ortiz Cofer’s penchant for eavesdropping the stories related by the grown-up women. She is analogous to a ‘silent auditor’ for the reason that she reacts to the stories mutely. Her involvement in the stories is not appreciated because the older women regard her as a young girl.
The Spell-“Casa”
Cofer alludes to “the spell she (Mama) cast when telling a story.” The impression of Mama’s storytelling expertise is compelling as a spell. As a result, the addressees take Mama’s stories seriously.
“Hombres with the devil in the flesh”- “Casa”
The devil signifies the malefic men who viciously exploit women, but do not oblige to matrimony. Equating such undependable men to the devil is plausible because their actions are conceited and spiteful.
“she walked and moved like a little girl, though she had the thick body and wrinkled face of an old woman”- “Casa”
The portrayal of Maria la Loca is incongruous. Cofer finds it challenging to reconcile the correspondence between Maria la Loca’s walking and her facial look. Her movement deconstructs her youngness.
‘Cultural Chameleons’-“Casa”
“Cultural Chameleons” make reference to biculturalism. Cofer parallels herself and her brother to ‘cultural chameleons’ since they shifted between American and pueblo. Accordingly, in America, they acted in accordance with the American culture. In pueblo they upheld the Puerto Rican way of life. Accordingly, they swapped cultures in the same way as a chameleon modifies its tint in various settings.
“Unspotted Lamb”- “Casa”
Cofer equates her mother to an “unspotted lamb.” Cofer’s mother was wed young, so the metaphor of the “unspotted lamb” befits her since she was credulous.
“He looked extraordinarily like young Marlon Brandon—down to the ironic little smile” (“First Love”)
Cofer parallels her crush’s appearance to Marlon Brandon’s. The association represents the crush as an enthralling and charismatic man who would activate inordinate illusions in the mind of a teenage girl.
“ I felt like a pilgrim waiting for a glimpse of Mecca.” (“First Love”)
Cofer is enthusiastic about setting eyes on her ‘secret lover’ at the supermarket. Having a glimpse of the lover would aid her to wean her yearning of being close by him although the odds of him spotting her are near to the ground. Her fervor is archetypal in the instances of love-struck girls.
“we labored like frantic Roman slaves to build a splendid banquet hall in our small auditorium” (“First Love”)
Cofer matches the student body’s exertion in getting ready for the Roman Banquet to the “Roman slaves.” Unmistakably, all the students were preoccupied with making the banquet a triumphant, outstanding feat.
