The Doorway
The doorway between the two rooms in which the speaker lives is a symbol of the border between Mexican-American culture and Anglo-American culture. As a Mexican-American, the poet stands in the doorway looking into both rooms knowing she will be accepted in both, but not belonging completely to either.
Coffee
Coffee is used to symbolize the difference in emotional tenor between the two rooms and thus, by extension, the two cultures. The Anglos drink their coffee black and the unsweetened bitter taste reflects their entire attitude. The Mexican woman drink coffee with milk and sugar and the sweetened lightness of their beverage is reflected in the sound of laughter missing from the other room.
Clothing
The clothing worn by the women in each room becomes an extended indicator of social and economic status.. The business suits worn by the American woman are described as beige and that same description is used to describe their smiles. Beige is not really even a color so much as a shade or tone, thus indicating a disposition toward conformity for the sake of career security, yet also carrying a connotation of economic stability. The colors of the clothing worn by the Mexican women is not indicated, instead merely alluded to through the imagery of “faded dresses.” The primary difference here is “suit” versus “dress.” The connotation implies both social and economic contrast: the Mexican women are not as concerned with career ambition nor as economically privileged; after all, they are wearing dresses that have been allowed to fade with age.
Conversation
It is not clear what the topic of conversation among the Mexican teachers is, only that it is personal, jovial and indicative of knowledge and interest of what goes on outside the school. On the other hand, the conversation among the American teacher is precise, impersonal and focuses on work-related subjects. The deeper implication is that the conversation there is beige as well as the dress and smiles; the atmosphere is one of emotional repression that contrasts sharply with the relaxed and emotionally open environment inside the other room.
Smiles
The title of the poem translates into English as “smiles.” Along with the doorway, then, the smiles referred to at the end of each description of the occupants inside both rooms is central to an understanding. The imagery is abundantly clear: the smiles on the lips of the Americans betray their unhappiness while the smiles trapped within the eyes of the Mexican women is a symbol of sincerity and truth. If that whole eyes are a window into the soul thing is real, then one room is occupied by emotional zombies and the other is not.
