The white raincoat that Mami buys for Sotomayor to take to Princeton symbolizes Sotomayor’s burgeoning adult identity and her coming of age. This is the first—and practically only—piece of clothing that Sotomayor ever falls in love with. In Mami’s eyes, this suggests that Sotomayor is becoming more comfortable finding her own style and dressing up—something that Mami, who loves fashion, is thrilled about. Even more importantly though, Sotomayor and Mami purchase the raincoat for Sotomayor to take to Princeton, where Sotomayor will begin her higher education and enter the adult world. The adult world that Sotomayor eventually inhabits, however, is very different from Mami’s adult world—Sotomayor makes more money even in her low-paying jobs than Mami ever does as a nurse—and the expensive, luxurious, and white coat symbolizes Sotomayor’s transition into that world of wealth and privilege.
The Raincoat Quotes in My Beloved World
There it was: glowing white with toggle buttons and subtle flair of fake fur trim up the front and around the hood. As improbably white as a white couch, white as a blanket of snow on a college lawn.
“You like it, Sonia?”
“I love it, Mami.” This was another first. Unlike my mother, or Chiqui, or my cousin Miriam, or so many of my friends, I’d never cared enough to fall in love with a garment. But wrapped in this, I knew I wouldn’t feel so odd.
The Raincoat Symbol Timeline in My Beloved World
