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SANDRA CISNEROS (ESSAY DATE 1996)

SOURCE: Cisneros, Sandra. “Only Daughter.” In Beacon Book of Essays by Contemporary American Women, edited by Wendy Martin, pp. 10-13. Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press, 1996.

In the following essay, Cisneros describes her struggles to attain self-worth in a patriarchal society and recounts the joy of gaining her father’s respect and pride in her accomplishments as a writer.

Once, several years ago, when I was just starting out my writing career, I was asked to write my own contributor’s note for an anthology I was part of. I wrote: “I am the only daughter in a family of six sons. That explains everything.”

Well, I’ve thought about that ever since, and yes, it explains a lot to me, but for the reader’s sake I should have written: “I am the only daughter in a Mexican family of six sons.” Or even: “I am the only daughter of a Mexican...

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1. Introduction
2. Principal Works
3. Primary Sources
   1. Sandra Cisneros (Essay Date 1996)
4. General Commentary
   1. Deborah L. Madsen (Essay Date 2000)
5. Title Commentary
   1. The House on Mango Street
   2. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
   3. Caramelo
6. Further Reading
7. Copyright

1. Feminism
2. Sandra Cisneros