The King of Mulberry Street

Shoes represent prosperity and good fortune, forming a motif that reflects Survival and Resilience in an Unfamiliar Place. Excited by his new shoes, Dom repeatedly realizes that they save him from tough circumstances and make others believe he is wealthy. On Ellis Island, the translator “pointed at [Dom’s] shoes. ‘This is no urchin. The father will be grateful. Maybe I should keep him myself to get the reward’” (63). This assumption keeps Dom safe by the translator’s side and ultimately saves him when he is pulled away from a padrone. 

Later, Dom recognizes his shoes’ role in not only his good fortune, but his survival. The first night renting a room from Signora Esposito, Dom thinks, “These shoes kept me from looking like I was dressed in rags. Signora Esposito had given us the room because of them. One more way these shoes had paved my path” (190). By acknowledging how important his shoes have been in his journey to Signora Esposito’s apartment, Dom highlights their role in his perseverance. When he buys new shoes for himself on his 10th birthday, he reflects, “The shoes Mamma gave me had saved me so many times” (241).