Peanut butter, which is at the heart of stanza one, may at first seem an unlikely symbol, but the poet uses it with very deliberate intent. Here, peanut butter signifies something typically American, to which millions of children over many generations can testify. The widespread use of peanut butter in America started in earnest in the Great Depression, and has since become an American tradition. A childhood without peanut butter would surely not really be an American childhood—at least, not a traditional one—and for many people the habit formed in childhood continues into adulthood and is associated with happy memories. When peanut butter is combined with jelly, as the narrator’s mother learns how to do at the end of the stanza, another staple American food appears. Like a moment of epiphany, the mother’s discovery of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches symbolizes a meaningful cultural connection for the family that plays out on a basic, culinary level.

Turkey at Thanksgiving is a symbol that suggests something uniquely American. It conjures up America’s past and its traditions. The very first Thanksgiving took place in 1621, when the Pilgrims in Massachusetts shared a meal with the Wampanoag Indians as a way of giving thanks for the harvest.