Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
We see trains only a couple of times in The Circuit, but they're super important. Here are the main two places we see them:
- When Francisco and his family hop on a train to California;
- and at the first strawberry-picking camp in Cali, where Roberto and Francisco love watching the train go by.
In both cases, trains bring the good times with them. While they're on their way to California, the whole family is dreaming of their new life—so the train is literally carrying hope as it hurtles toward the United States. And while California may night live up to the hype once they arrive, their time on the train lets us know that this is a family of dreamers, and a family willing to give up a lot—the train takes them far away from their home—to build better lives for themselves.
When they get to the strawberry farms, watching for the train becomes Roberto and Francisco's favorite time of day. It's a pretty special bonding experience for these brothers, and it's only made more special by the nice conductor:
The conductor slowed the train to a crawl, waved, and gently dropped a large brown bag in front of us as he went by. We picked it up and looked inside. It was full of oranges, apples, and candy. (1.39)
Um… that's awesome, right? Right. When you find a train that dispenses candy, you know you've found a good thing. And since this is one of the first experiences Francisco and Roberto have in California, it feels like a magical place full of friendly folks and sweet treats. It certainly warms their welcome, if you will.