Answer:
The aspects of a character's background that can contribute to how Rachel perceives her world include:
1. Rachel is from a family that respects authority and elders. She is not trained to talk back to her elders in self-defense. No wonder she obediently but disgustedly wears the offending red sweater without protest.
2. As an eleven year old girl, Rachel is a child when compared to Mrs. Price (her school teacher). She cannot vehemently defend herself that she is not the rightful owner of the sweater. Age and experience contribute to the character's background and how Rachel perceives her world.
3. From the short story, one also understands that Rachel is non-confrontational, timid, and shy. This is why, instead of speaking up, she decides to contemplate and hold her age as a factor that permits her to obey social authorities like Mrs. Price without further question.
Explanation:
'Eleven' has become a popular short story because of its charm, universality, and rich language. It is penned by Sandra Cisneros (1991) to demonstrate how authority figures trample right to freedom of those under their charge. This is more awful for Rachel because as she is forced to wear the red sweater by Mrs. Price (her school teacher), her eleventh birthday is completely ruined and she wishes she were older.