“Eleven” is a short story of self-discovery by Sandra Cisneros about a girl named Rachel on her eleventh birthday. Because Rachel is only eleven, she is vulnerable to adults such as her teacher, Mrs. Price, who have the power to humiliate her.
Most of the story consists of Rachel’s internal dialogue; it is written as if Rachel were writing in a journal or a diary. She is very free with her thoughts and throughout the story she struggles to understand her own feelings as well as other people’s motives for being mean to her. The story is very graphic; there are many similes used to give the reader a good sense of how Rachel truly feels. For example, Rachel describes the unwanted sweater on her desk as “sitting there like a big red mountain” (8). This particular example exaggerates the size of the sweater, and in doing so, gives the reader a good sense of how big of a burden the sweater feels to Rachel. These descriptions are important in realizing how the mind of an eleven-year-old works so the reader can sympathize and work to understand Rachel’s journey of self-discovery.
The syntax of the story is important in understanding Rachel. There is a lot of repetition, which is used to enforce the eleven-year-old persona. For example, the words “not mine” are repeated six times; the way they are used is how an eleven-year-old would speak. It is also significant that “not mine” is said six times because the number six is associated with trial and effort. As an eleven-year-old, Rachel is in the transition stage of her life; she is neither child nor adolescent. She must put in a lot of effort to be heard and to be taken seriously. Personification is also important; both the words “Eleven” (7) and “Band-Aid” (7) are personified. By personifying “Eleven”, Cisneros stresses the importance of the age of transition. Without transition, one cannot move onto the next stage in life; it is an important step because it is during transitional periods people learn how to deal with things they will encounter in the next stage. “Eleven” also symbolizes the embodiment of all the previous ages; in this story it is the ultimate number. The personification of “Band-Aid” emphasizes how hurt and vulnerable Rachel feels. She needs the band-aid to help her heal her wounds and hurt feelings; it also brings her strength so when she is older, she will know how to handle herself if anyone offends her.
Lastly, the names in the story are important. For example, Rachel was originally a Hebrew name that means little lamb, or one with purity. This fits in perfectly with the story because the character Rachel is a small, innocent girl. Lambs are always depicted as vulnerable creatures who need to be constantly guarded from wolves. Likewise, Rachel is too young and sheltered to take care of herself; she still needs to be protected from the outside world. Mrs. Price is another significant name because it is a masculine Welsh surname derived from another Welsh name, son of Rhys, which means enthusiasm. Generally speaking, masculine figures have more power, and in this story Mrs. Price is an authoritative figure. She is also very enthusiastic when it comes to forcing Rachel to wear the abhorred sweater.
