It should be noted that in “The Gift” by Rosario Ferré, several social issues are addressed, ranging from patriarchy and racism to institutional corruption and indoctrination. Puerto Rico serves as an ideal framework to assess and analyze the vast differences between the poor and the rich, which is the result of socioeconomic inequalities. Hispanic Antilles society is directly critiqued by the author for its oppressive values regarding religion, society, and education. The two main characters are Carlotta and Mercedita, where one comes from a background of poverty and disadvantage, and the other is the richest and most prominent student in the school. The former embodies a rebelliousness and fights against the old and outdated ideals which created social inequality in the first place. Carlotta proactively goes against the nuns by making them and other students less controllable by their educators. These rebellious acts result in Carlotta being expelled from the educational institution.
As a result, Mercedita leaves the school as well because both girls value their friendship and relationship over everything else. Subsequently, Carlotta expresses her gratitude for Mercedita’s loyalty to their common values by gifting the latter a mango. Originally, the gift was given as a beauty pageant prize, which symbolized superficiality and adherence to the patriarchic connotations. However, the second gift-giving was sincere and about friendship, which later changed to becoming sarcastic in its message. Therefore, the narrative is centered around this gift since it is important to note that it reflects the phases of growth. The harsh realities of patriarchy and socioeconomic inequality test their limits of being able to deal with such an unfair societal structure.