themonkeygarden

"Can I Come Out and Play?" Aging promotes the loss of childhood and innocence. Little girls go from skinned knees and imaginary friends, to runs in their pantyhose and boyfriends. Sandra Cisneros', "The Monkey Garden", addresses the emotions that occur during this drastic transition through the view of herself as a little girl. This paper will discuss the author's central theme and plot, the background of Cisneros , and the downward spiral of American childhood. The …

…strong descriptive words which enable the reader to experience her pain and anger: "…and cried a long time. I closed my eyes tight like stars,…my face felt hot. Everything inside hiccuped" Finally, the story ends with the Cisneros' desire "to be dead, to turn into the rain, my [Cisneros'] eyes melt into the ground like two black snails." She finally realizes that the garden, along with her childhood did not belong to her anymore.