Final answer:
Sandra Cisneros's story 'Eleven' showcases the theme of growing up as a complex and non-linear process, using the narrator's character arc and literary language to illuminate this experience. The narrative draws on Cisneros's own reflection on identity and growth, with clear parallels to her memoir, emphasizing the role of writing in navigating one’s cultural and personal identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theme Sandra Cisneros explores in Eleven is the complexity of growing up. The narrator, Rachel, experiences a tension between her chronological age and her emotional maturity during a humiliating incident on her eleventh birthday. Throughout the story, she realizes that emotions and knowledge from all the years of her life coexist within her. This revelation acts as the vehicle for the theme, signifying that growing up is a nonlinear process, where the past and present self coexist.
Cisneros employs literary language to augment this theme and the narrator's character arc. Through the use of connotation and figurative language, she portrays Rachel's internal struggle and her development throughout the story. For example, Rachel's assertion that with each year she has 'been collecting' she has more layers to her than the simple number eleven; this demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of self, different from Cisneros's identity-seeking journey described in A House of My Own. Cisneros's reflection in her memoir parallels Rachel's reflection on her own identity, offering a glimpse into the importance of reflection in her work, which serves as a means to navigate and document the complexities of her bicultural life.
The character arc of Rachel in 'Eleven' not only provides clarity on the theme of growth but also serves as a literary reflection of Cisneros's own experiences crafted through her distinct style. This dual narrative voice, influenced by her Mexican and American background, allows for a rich exploration of identity, culture, and the act of writing as a form of self-discovery and assertion.