Commentary on the Short Story Eleven

The irony of life is that as you grow older you want to experience your youth again, while at the time you are young all you want is to be older. In "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros, Rachel is only eleven years old, yet she would rather be one hundred and two. She feels that the old age will give her the respect and wisdom to be able to stand up for herself. Through the use …

…or having a classmate you cannot stand. Who has not had a time when they were not listened to because they were “too young?” However, Rachel’s moment has just occurred and as can be expected the hurt is fresh. The story ends as it begins—with Rachel wishing to be older so that this memory can be far, far away and not seem as important as it does right now, on her eleventh birthday.