In
the beginning of the story Cisneros describes her father as someone who had a
traditional, Mexican mindset when it came to daughters. When she failed to
adhere to the tradition he becomes disappointed in her. Cisneros regards her
father as someone she wants approval from because she’s always felt he’s
treated her as inferior compared to her brothers. Towards the end of the piece,
Cisneros shifts to a more understanding tone when describing her father. In a
way, he has become less of a person who she felt she needed to impress and
simply her “papa”. Cisneros’ own success
changed the presentation of her father. Once she began to gain recognition, she
grew more confident and this allowed her to figure out her own self-worth. Of
course she still shows her father one of her stories, but the way she describes
how he “read lines he liked out loud [and] pointed and asked questions” differs
greatly from the man who was uninterested in her writing in the beginning of
the story. Cisneros mirrors her father because they both have unrealistic
expectations of each other. Her father wants her to marry someone even though
she dreams of being a writer, much like how she expects her father to be proud
of her work despite the fact that he does not even read English. The scene
where her father constantly proclaimed he had seven sons also parallels
Cisneros in small way. Her father is telling the general public about his sons,
while she is trying to do the same with her stories.
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