The Orphan of Ellis Island

In Chapters 25 through 28 of The Orphan of Ellis Island, the difficult journey to America bonds the boys as they confront the dirty, crowded conditions. Woodruff uses symbolism to highlight the sacrifices people make for their dreams.

Violetta, the goat, symbolizes the significant sacrifice many immigrants made on their journeys to America. Italian immigrants left behind loved ones and belongings that had been important parts of their homes and identities. These goodbyes were difficult: “Francesco was frantic to have one last look at Violetta. It was all Dominic could do to hold him back” (131). Francesco mourns losing Violetta because he took care of her and because she provided the brothers companionship as well as milk. As the eldest brother, Francesco wants to preserve what remains of his family. More than a companion, Violetta also represents home. To embark on a new journey and begin the next chapter of his life, Francesco must commit to his future in America. Ultimately, giving up Violetta is giving up his past and requires strength and growth. Francesco’s journey highlights the theme of The Immigrant Experience.

The boys' difficult voyage on the ship symbolizes how unpredictable life can be and represents the storms woven throughout life. Losing Salvatore compounds their tragedy because they had been about to leave Italy for a new adventure together. Similarly, on the ship to New York, the brothers try to remain optimistic about the future, but bad weather makes optimism difficult:

[T]hese conversations would come to a sudden end when the weather turned bad and they entered choppy waters. With little warning, the ship would suddenly lurch up into the air on the crest of a billowing wave and then come crashing down on the water’s surface (138).

The storm at sea represents the painful growth and transition the boys face as they leave behind all they have known.

Another symbol Woodruff uses in these chapters is the clean shirt meant for Salvatore, which contrasts with Dominic’s sneakers from the novel's beginning. In the wake of Salvatore’s death, his clean shirt symbolizes familial pride, legacy, and belonging. Dominic receives the shirt instead, and as “he looked down at the stained shirt now and tried to smooth out the wrinkles with his dirty hands, Dominic felt as if he had never worn anything finer” (144). Dominic’s possession of the shirt is a metaphor for finding true family in the Candiano brothers. He doesn’t take the place of Salvatore so much as he is a gift of an additional brother. The worn shirt is a symbol that represents the beauty found in the meaning of things, not in the things themselves. Before his trip to 1908, Dominic had envied the expensive new sneakers of his classmates, but this journey has given him perspective on poverty and wealth. Even though the shirt’s stained and wrinkled, it is meaningful because it connects him to Salvatore and the brothers.

The irony in these chapters is that Dominic travels back to the city he originally came from, but now he is part of a family. Even so, “If Francesco and Antonio were to live in New Jersey, then Dominic would be living alone with yet another strange family in New York […] Suddenly he felt the old familiar feelings of loneliness sweeping over him” (146). Dominic has found belonging and connection just as he is about to be forced into another foster family. Even by traveling back through time, Dominic finds himself in the same position as in his real life. This irony is poignant and adds a bittersweet tone to the narrative, highlighting the theme of The Importance of Family.