Sandra Cisneros Symbolizm

     In the series of vignettes, written by Sandra Cisnero you get a mix matched feel as to what she is trying to represent in her work. One thing for sure is her reuse of the colors. A lot of symbolism is used in the book. Shown in her novella like tree's, falling, the color red & pink especially. Everything Cisnero writes depicts a story line that symbolizes some sort of idea.
  
    In particular, tree's seem to branch towards everything in her story. Tree's show strength, union and bonding. Clearly proven on page 22 as she writes "But what you remember most  is the tree, huge, with fat arms & mighty family of squirrels on higher branches." Because it branches so deep. Like as if the relation of  Esperanza's family was a tree with roots. It's stronger on the bottom as for the top.  And so the branches need the roots just as much as the roots need the branches, representing her family.

   Adjacent to this, Sandra illustrates the color pink in many many ways. Red for instance is often used  to evoke erotic feelings. Like red lipstick, a little red dress. I think in the book, Esperanza  thinks the color red of something of higher power. More class. Maybe a sexual attention she wants as a young 13-14 year old girl. The color pink . It denotes feminine qualities and a right to pass as one. As it shows on page 76, "Huge enormous, beautiful to look at, from the salmon pink feather on the tip of her hat down to the little rosebud of her toes." It seems as if pink is her ideal way to show her tension to be more noticed. Because it just shows the pink is the cute feminine quality she wants boys to see. At the same time red is the sexual passion. Almost as if those colors are codes to what she sees. The girls in pink or red seem to get more attention. Its vibrance seems to push outward to everyone. And she wants to noticed as the "hot one" instead of the "slut".


     Eventually everything leads to falling. But falling is significant in this novella. Esperanza, seems to see it as something bad for it. Ever time time some one falls, they do something brave before it, but they get hurt. For instance on page 22 she says "This is the tree we chose for the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest. Meme won. And broke both arms." What does this show? With success there if failure. When you fail, you learn how to succeed. But if you rewind how she wrote this, you see that she wins, but then ends up failing. With her broken arms. It's as if everything is so far, and you have to get to to some where way out there. And the swinging of the trees, which you can't bring down, had brought her down. It's as if the world is a dream and everyones caught off gaurd. Falling coming down freely under the influence of gravity. It shows she's letting things under her in this case, take over her.


     Nylons. It's popular in the post modern age. But it shows a sense of sexuality. Feminism. Most people wear is under small skirts, and shorts. But it's as if she wants a pair to show but hide. Because it covers a certain amount, but she will revel to whom she chooses. Most males find it a  fantasy when they see woman wearing stockings. The chance of a man taking a oo-gle at a girl in stockings takes a second of there time to look. Therefore gaining attention. Just like on page 81 " Sally is the girl with the eyes like Egypt & nylons the color of smoke. Again with the black, because thats shows a sense of mystery. What's under that? What do those legs look like without them. Keeps men wondering. And thats probably what Esperanza wants. That sense of look at me, aren't I stunning? These types of nylons thin out the back lining of the legs. Creating an optical illusion  to make the seam create a focus  on the calf muscle. Which men  find alusively attractive. Shows the erotic coke botttle figure of a young girl.