A review by zoet
Eleven by Sandra Cisneros

5.0

In Eleven by Sandra Cisneros, the main girl, Rachel’s character is shown through thought. The writing is strung together like the stream of consciousness of a child who still has that freedom to think freely and wholeheartedly because only until later, like full adulthood, do people really learn to keep a lid on their emotions. Also, even though she possesses very mature ideas like never truly being one age and being aware of other people's many ages (like her mother crying) the Rachel is still restricted to the thought of a child with immature similes and metaphors such as comparing herself to a balloon and having pain in the head like when drinking milk too fast. She represents a more youthful time where you didn't have to express you were sad because of x, y, z. Instead you could just cry and let snot come out of your nose and everyone knew you were sad. And it's a time much too early to understand sickness, old age, disease, stress--even menstrual headaches. Instead, the most pain you got to your head was by drinking milk too fast. Even her wish to be a hundred and two, this last thought is childish as it’s Rachel’s way of running. She doesn’t understand yet that to be a hundred and two, it’s not done by wishing, but instead having to experience the pain, agony, and all ugly, red sweaters of the years in between.