Journal

Journal It is not always that a reader is granted the opportunity to see how the development of a relationship between siblings over a series of short stories. Usually, short stories do not allow for much character and plot development due to the limited number of pages used in telling the story. But in the stories “ Boys and Girls”, “ Our Good Day”, and “ Laughter”, author Sandra Cisneros allows the readers the chance to see the unique relationship developing between sisters.
All three stories deal with “ a day in the life of” concept stories that relate to the life of the siblings. The first one, “ Boys and Girls”, lets the reader know that Nenny is still too young to be a friend to her sister and yet, the unnamed older sister is already looking forward to the time when Nenny will be old enough to be her friend and enjoy each others company. The sense of sibling love is quite strong in this story because she feels protective of her younger sister and looks out for her because not all the kids in their neighborhood are nice children and she does not want her sister exposed to any bad influences. The end of the story makes one wonder what might have become of the sisters after some years had passed. That is why it was nice to see the relationship progression in the second story “ Our Good Day”.
In “ Our Good Day”, the readers learn that Nenny is no longer a little child. She is already old enough to be the friend of her sister and that the relationship between them is one filled with trust and care. It also shows that the older sister keeps her younger sibling in mind and is very happy to be able to share any good fortune that she might come into in life with her. However, the story that shows us the greatest development in the relationship of the sisters can be seen in the story “ Laughter”.
The most telling passage from the story laughter that helped me understand the depth of the relationship of the sisters is the following quote:
Look at that house, I said, it looks like Mexico. Rachel and Lucy look at me like I am crazy, but before they can let out a laugh, Nenny says yes: Yes, thats Mexico all right. Thats what I was thinking exactly.
This shows that the sisters have reached a point in their sibling-ship where they know each other so well that they trust that the other will know what the one is trying to say. Even more impressive, is that the sisters already think alike. Which is a sign that the siblings are quite in-tune with one another and share more than just a superficial relationship.
I guess that is why I enjoyed reading about these stories so much. The short stories give a sense of character development and understanding in such a way that the independent stories become interconnected in a unique way. Thus allowing the reader to connect the stories on their own and for some, such as myself, they will also come to realize that the stories tell a more complex story of friends and siblings experiencing life and growing up collectively.