Sandra Cisneros' Only Daughter

In Sandra Cisneros' Only Daughter, the author provides us with an account of the isolation and efforts to win her father's approval in a working-class family of nine, including six brothers and one daughter. As Cisneros writes, "I was/am the only daughter and only a daughter" (p. 142). This line is significant to my life and Cisneros', because I am Hispanic like Cisneros and in my family, as well as hers, males were favored. Not only were males favored, but females were confined to rigid roles. Like Cisneros' father urged her to get an education so she could find a husband, so my father urged me to marry, have children, and settle down. In both my own life and Cisneros', such experiences fuel an inner passion to achieve and gain approval that outweighs any of the negative impact on development from such patriarchal attitudes.

In Cisneros' life, her family focused on her brothers. Her father often mistakenly told people, "I have seven sons," making Cisneros feel like she was "being erased" from existence, (p. 143). Bec

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Category: Literature - S