Previous
Literary Devices
Definition of Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the... read full definition
Chapter 14: Alicia Who Sees Mice
Explanation and Analysis—Fur Father:
In one of the vignettes that does not center on Esperanza herself, a moment of alliteration punctuates the description of Alicia, a girl who takes care of her family in place of her deceased mother:
Is a good girl, my friend, studies all night and sees the mice, the ones her father says do not exist. Is afraid of nothing except four-legged fur. And fathers.
Alicia has to take on domestic responsibilities for her family after her mother dies, doing so in addition to attending university. The alliteration of the /f/ sound in "four-legged fur. And fathers" subtly connects her father, who makes her become a homemaker, to the mice, who represent her current status and situation. Her home is a sort of prison, making it difficult for her to go to university and achieve her dreams. She is thus terrified by the inhabitants of that house, both father and mouse alike.
The repeated /f/ sound draws the reader's attention to both the mice and the father respectively, highlighting their individual and combined relevance to Alicia. The fact that the alliteration joins the last two clauses, which are both incomplete sentences, further equates the father with the rodents while focusing the reader's attention on each clause.
Related Themes:
Chapter 28: Sire
Explanation and Analysis—Little Pink Toes:
Cisneros paints a vivid picture of Lois, the girlfriend of Esperanza's first crush, describing in detail how her toes appear:
And once when she was standing next to me at Mr. Benny’s grocery she was barefoot, and I saw her barefoot baby toenails all painted pale pale pink, like little pink seashells, and she smells pink like babies do. She’s got big girl hands, and her bones are long like ladies’ bones, and she wears makeup too. But she doesn’t know how to tie her shoes. I do.
Cisneros describes how Lois's toes look and smell, creating a visceral image of her physical appearance. The alliteration of the /p/ sounds in the phrase "painted pale pale pink" contributes to the imagery, highlighting what Lois's toes look like. Esperanza's confusion of smell and sight—Lois "smells pink like babies do"—further contributes both to the scene's imagery but also to the reader's sense of Esperanza's jealousy, as Esperanza becomes dizzied by Lois's physical appearance.
The quotation portrays Esperanza's growing in maturity, as she develops crushes and admires the appearance of the older women around her. At the same time, Esperanza's present innocence is evident even as she begins to mature, as this passage plays on the gendered stereotype that young girls love pink. To that end, it's clear that Esperanza seems to associate pink with womanhood, since her comments about the color lead directly into the assertion that Lois has "big girl hands, and her bones are long like ladies’ bones, and she wears makeup too." In this way, the visual imagery in this passage helps illuminate the way Esperanza is looking at the world (and the people) around her.
Related Themes:
