Oranges

It's right there in the poem's title, so it stands to reason that oranges have some symbolic significance in "Oranges." The bright color and sweet associations that we have with the fruit get all wrapped up with the speaker's feelings for his girl and the idea of love itself. Aw, ain't that sweet?

• Title: When we read the word "oranges" right there at the top of the page, our mind jumps to all kinds of positive associations: sweet flavors, bright cheerful colors, warm summery weather. Let's face it, the orange is practically the poster fruit for warm, sunny weather. Sunny D, anyone?
  By titling this poem "Oranges," Soto insures that readers start off in a sunny frame of mind.
• Lines 1-4: We find out in the poem's first few lines that the speaker is recollecting his first date. Oh yeah, and he also tells us he's carrying around a "couple" of oranges. Since the poem is about another couple (the speaker and the girl), there could be a connection between the people and the fruit (really).
  On a literal level, the speaker likely brought the oranges to share, a gesture to show his feelings for the girl—a gesture of love. What a nice guy. But he's "weighted down" by the oranges. Oranges can get pretty big, but not that big. "Weighted down" might refer to how the speaker is feeling emotionally. Sure, love is grand, but there is often some pressure involved at the start of a relationship: Does she like me? What if I say something stupid? What if my oranges are pithy? These kinds of questions can really weigh on a guy (that's right, we said it). So on a symbolic level, the oranges represent feelings and ideas associated with love. And you thought they were just a good source of vitamin C.
• Lines 35-42: When the speaker set that orange on the counter, the saleslady knew "what it was all about." She knew that the speaker wanted to use the orange to barter for the chocolate. But on a more figurative level, the orange has come to represent love and all the bright, vibrant, sweet, warm feelings associated with it.
  So, on a literal level the saleslady recognizes that the kid wants to trade the orange for the chocolate but she also recognizes what is going on between the boy and the girl. She knows what the orange is all about therefore she knows what love is all about. That's why she accepts the deal and doesn't embarrass the speaker by rejecting his offer.
  We're glad that saleslady gets it—otherwise this poem would have had a very different ending.
• Lines 51-56: In the poem's closing lines, the speaker takes out the remaining orange and peels it. The orange is so bright against the gloomy December setting that the speaker imagines it looks like fire in his hands. Cool—well, actually, hot.
  We can really picture that radiant orange, amidst the gray of the fog and damp sidewalks and streets, appearing to glow in the speaker's hands. Since that orange has come to symbolically represent love, we also get the sense that it's the warm, radiant energy of love that the speaker is holding for everyone to see—an intense, summery bright spot in the gray of everyday life.