Literary Analysis of Eleven

The story “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros is a story about an eleven-year old named Rachael going through a conflict during her eleventh birthday. The literary work was chosen due to the fact that the short summary of ‘a girl’s 11^th birthday is ruined by a teacher’ can have many avenues for a writing to go down. Usually, teachers are supposed to be there for the student that they teach. Teachers are technically a third parent to kids because they are responsible for them during the time they are there to teach them. When a teacher is not taking their profession seriously they can end up ruining a kids day or teaching them less then they need to know. The story was picked because it is not expected of a teacher to ruin a girl’s day during their birthday. The four elements to be discussed are that of plot, character and narration (through point of view), language and diction, and symbolism. The theme of the story is one of going through the struggle of today, consoling and learning from past events, and moving forward and onward.

The use of plot is used to prime the theme by setting up specific thoughts that are going to appear in the reader’s head. Plot is what happens withing the story and though the words on page explaining the how and the why of what is happening. Interesting enough, the story does not start immediately but starts out with a small epilogue as a precursor to the plot that comments about birthdays and age. Commenting on how the culmination of past events make up the present you. For the character to character plot it is about the girl Rachael having an item forced upon her that wasn’t her possession in the first place. The plot exemplifies the situation she is put into and how she handles it. The plot primes the theme because the laydown of events is the message the story is trying to tell. Without any plot there is no theme to form. The story shows the struggle the character is going through and the actions they try to take to prevent what they don’t want to do. By going through these events the narrator is experiencing and presenting the struggle that they had to endure.

The use of characters and narration helps to carry the theme within the story. The characters within the story helps to define what type of conflict and interaction there will be for any specific story. If the characters or the attitudes are changed then so does the story change along with it. Narration on the other hand helps to delve into the mind of usually the main protagonist. You get more detailed thoughts on what someone is going through and get more than their interact of other characters. The use of these elements helps to further clarify not only the outer struggle of Rachael’s experience but what’s going on inside her mind while the event is unfolding. With Rachael’s narration you got to see the inner struggle when she was trying to reject the sweater. She wishes that she were older so that she would be more able to express to the teacher that the red sweater was not hers. She did not have the courage nor learned that younger individuals can stand up to older people. However, because of Rachael’s limited experience she did not put enough effort into clarifying the truth of the matter. She went through an event that was uncomfortable to her; So uncomfortable that it made her burst into tears. While she wants to forget what happens it will be very difficult for her to learn until her emotions have settled and matured. The character and narration choice helps to solidify the theme.

The use of language and diction further explores the theme of the story. Language and diction are the choice of words of a story and how grammar is presented to the reader. Different language and diction styles lead to different interpretations by the reader of what is being told within a specific text. If a scientific paper were to be written in an informal tone with slang being used then the ideas and theories being presented in the paper would be taken less seriously. For stories, the certain use of diction sets a specific mood the author is trying to achieve. In eleven there is a much more informal and un-developed literary style. In the second paragraph of the story the word “like” is used to start a sentence which is illnot found for more serious works. This choice shows that you are in the perspective of the eleven year old. That she is sharing her vulnerability and thoughts even if there was a better way to speak it. The thoughts and actions of an eleven-year-old are less solidified and edified but still have a resemblance of a cognitive thought. That blurriness of action and thought leads the reader to have some interpretation on what is presented. Rachel is trying to say a concept she holds in her head but does not know exactly how to clarify it. The choice of language and diction develops the theme because it is showing Rachael directly going through and think about event that are happening and that she is apart of.

Lastly, symbolism is used within the story as an indirect way to put on a pedestal more broader concepts. Symbolism is action of putting physical objects within a story that have an underlying meaning and concept to them. The Russian dolls and tree trunks are used as symbols to say that past events make up a present person. The red sweater is used as a symbol for social ostracization and embarrassment. The runaway balloon is used as a symbol of time passing by and events becoming a smaller and smaller part of one’s mind and overall experience; a smaller portion of personal history. Each symbol is used as an object to convey an aspect of the theme. If one of the symbols goes missing, then so does part of theme. Each contains a unique but conjoined message that creates a powerful combination of the overall theme when combined together.

Conclusion

Each element of this story plays a very important role in conveying the theme. Without properly aligned plot, characters and narration, language and diction, and symbolism the meaning of the story and how it is presented would be wildly changed. Each element adds a unique aspect in conveying the theme. The plot is a simple conflict that ends up affects the main character in a big way. The characters and narration give a specific mood when the plot is developing. The language and diction further clarifies and develops that moods. The symbolism adds greater ideas to be addressed and thought about without having to talk about them for longer. They all show that the narrator is having a hard time going through these events and each element provides a piece to that puzzle. They show the struggle happening today, the narrator trying to learn where she went wrong, and how she wants to continue the days and years to come.