In a life of small means, beauty takes on even more weight. The effectiveness of “Oranges” relies on this. The poem opens with a set of depressing realities. It is set on a dreary winter day in California, where the landscape is foggy, icy, and unforgiving, and made worse by the fact that the boy only has a “jacket” (Line 4) rather than a warm coat. He carries a single “nickel in [his] pocket” (Line 31), which means he can only afford one piece of candy for the girl he likes—and that the pricier candy bars are out of his reach. On their walk, the boy and girl pass a “used car lot” (Line 18), which suggests that they are in a run-down neighborhood with few attractions.

Soto deliberately uses these images to contrast, and thus heighten, the small beauties the boy sees—objects that are infused with light and color that enliven the day and the boy’s spirit. The girl’s house is illuminated by a “Porchlight that burned yellow [...] in any weather” (Lines 10-11). The girl has blushed her cheeks “bright / With rouge” (Lines 14-15), adding cheerful color to her face and wordlessly indicating her reciprocated romantic interest in the boy.