Camila
9/6/07

32A, Black, 15 Dollars

        32A. Mamma told us to buy the cheapest one, size 32A. Nenny looked so nervous, I could tell she was about to cry. She was just a 32A. Mama gave us 15 dollars as she waved good-bye. 32A she screamed. (1)
        When we got to the store, a lady that smelled like a bouquet of roses and chocolate bonbons greeted us. (2) Welcome to Veronikini’s Bikini. Is there anyway I can help you? Nenny just stood there staring. Staring at the store, the lights, the hangers, the clothes. No thanks, I said, we’ll be fine.
        As we were going through the racks, Nenny was so overwhelmed. When we got to the juniors section, Nenny walked towards a rack that had pink, purple, orange, green, blue, yellow, and red bras. No way, I told Nenny as I saw the New Arrivals sign on top of the rack. We have to go to the sales section. As we got closer to that Sale sign, Nenny’s face started to turn pale. I already new this was going to be hard.
        Okay, what color do you want Nenny? This is not as interesting as the New Arrivals rack, huh? Only blacks, beige, and whites. (3)

How boring, said Nenny.

Ok, 32A right? What color do you want?

 Purple, the purple one, over there, 32A. (4)

No it’s too expensive.

Okay then, 32A, black. (5)

When we got the cashier, another woman told us it was 15 dollars.

15 dollars?

Yes, 32A, black, 15 dollars.  
        Walking out of Veronikini’s Bikini we saw a man dressed in black from head to toe, he was staring at us, staring at our bag with the Veronikini’s Bikini logo on it. Apúrate Nenny. Corre Rápido. (6) We start running and as I turned around, he was there. (7)  In the blink of an eye he took the bag. The bag with the 32A, black. The bag only worth 15 dollars. The bag with Nenny’s proof that she was now a woman. (8 9 10)

Footnotes

1. Repetition is a grammatical form that we can find in Cisneros’s writing very often. Here, repeating the bra size 32A reflects Cisneros’s writing style. For example, in the chapter “Red Clowns” Cisneros repeats the words “you lied” (99) over five times. This is to show the importance and significance of the word repeated. Just like in Cisneros’s writing, repeating the size 32A shows how noteworthy growing up is to Nenny.

2.     Similes are also a grammatical form that can be found constantly in Cisneros’s writing. Here I used a simile comparing the fragrance of the lady at the store with chocolate and roses. Cisneros example of similes is “…the family that spoke like guitars” (94). The use of similes makes this pastiche similar to any chapter in The House on Mango Street.

3.     Fragments are in Cisneros’s sentence syntax. I can compare this fragment with many in the book. For example, “Not the mayor” (107) is a fragment in the book. Fragments can’t be read alone. You have to read the rest of the paragraph to understand them. This is the same case for the fragment in this pastiche.

4.     In this conversation between Nenny and Esperanza, the lines are separated to show who is talking. Cisneros’s does this many times throughout the book. One example of this is in the chapter “The Three Sisters” (104). The lines of the conversation are separated, just like here, to show distinction between who is talking.

5. No punctuation is used here, just like in many of Cisneros’s writing. When people talk, she doesn’t put in quotation marks or commas. An example of this punctuation style is at the beginning of the chapter “Chanclas” (46). Esperanza’s mom says many things, yet the correct punctuation isn’t there.

6.     Cisneros frequently uses words in Spanish to make her writing more unique. In this pastiche the Spanish word choice is also present. An example of Spanish word choice in The House on Mango Street is in the chapter “Papa Who Wakes up Tired in the Dark” (56). Esperanza’s dad says “Your abuelito is dead.” The use of Spanish words not only makes Cisneros’s writing one of a kind, but it also shows Esperanza’s heritage.

7. Here, there is a change between present tense and past tense. Sandra Cisneros does this many times in her writing. The past tense is because Esperanza is telling a story that happened in the past, but she switches to present tense when she has to reflect on the story being told.

8.     At the end of the story we can clearly see that the story was told in first person. This is Cisneros’s narrative style throughout the entire book, The House on Mango Street. This pastiche is also in first person and the story is told by Esperanza.

9. The theme, which is growing up, at the end of this chapter is very clear. Just like in this chapter, Sandra Cisneros has many chapters in which growing up is the theme. An example of one of these chapters is “First Job” (53). Esperanza has to get a job to pay for her high school. This symbolizes that Esperanza is maturing and growing into an adult.

10.  This chapter, like many of Cisneros’s chapters, ends in suspense. All we know in this pastiche is that the Veronikini’s Bikini bag was stolen. We know nothing else about what the characters think or how the story resolves. The chapter “Red Clowns” also ends with suspense. Esperanza shows that she was harassed, but she never says what happened to her after that. She doesn’t end that particular story and in the next chapter she starts a completely new story.