“Until then, I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor.” Esperanza talks about best friends in the chapter “Boys & Girls” and how she doesn’t really have one. She says that in her neighborhood the boys only play with boys, and girls only play with girls. Esperanza’s closest friend is her sister Nenny. Nenny is much younger than Esperanza and because of this Esperanza believes that they can’t be real friends. The poetic ending sentence; “Until then, I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor.” represents how Esperanza feels about Nenny. Every word has an important key role in Esperanza’s feeling.
Until: Esperanza is waiting and longing for a closer friend and someone her own age she can rely on. It symbolizes that her real life, the life she wants, is pending and will not come unless she has the real friend she wishes for.
Then: Used in comparison or contrast it represents how her life could change with this new friend.
I: This chapter shows the selfish foolish side of being a little girl, yet it captures how Esperanza see’s herself in the time of adolescence.
am: Because Esperanza says she is a red balloon instead of saying she is like a red balloon it shows how seriously she believes what she is saying and how justified she thinks the metaphor is.
a: Esperanza sees herself as a balloon and not the balloons because she sees herself as solitary and alone.
red: Red is often used to represent a women, Esperanza see’s herself as a young women and Nenny as a child. Red is also a very vibrant color, Esperanza believes her life would be more exciting without Nenny.
balloon: balloons are almost weightless and are free to sail the air, as Esperanza believes she would be without Nenny.
tied: The bond between Nenny and Esperanza is a bond of blood, they are forever tied.
to: Used to connect the bond of the balloon, Esperanza, to the anchor, Nenny.
an: An anchor is used instead of the anchors because Nenny is Esperanza’s only problem.
anchor: Esperanza believes Nenny is drowning her and hold her down as an anchor weighs down a ship.
Until: Esperanza is waiting and longing for a closer friend and someone her own age she can rely on. It symbolizes that her real life, the life she wants, is pending and will not come unless she has the real friend she wishes for.
Then: Used in comparison or contrast it represents how her life could change with this new friend.
I: This chapter shows the selfish foolish side of being a little girl, yet it captures how Esperanza see’s herself in the time of adolescence.
am: Because Esperanza says she is a red balloon instead of saying she is like a red balloon it shows how seriously she believes what she is saying and how justified she thinks the metaphor is.
a: Esperanza sees herself as a balloon and not the balloons because she sees herself as solitary and alone.
red: Red is often used to represent a women, Esperanza see’s herself as a young women and Nenny as a child. Red is also a very vibrant color, Esperanza believes her life would be more exciting without Nenny.
balloon: balloons are almost weightless and are free to sail the air, as Esperanza believes she would be without Nenny.
tied: The bond between Nenny and Esperanza is a bond of blood, they are forever tied.
to: Used to connect the bond of the balloon, Esperanza, to the anchor, Nenny.
an: An anchor is used instead of the anchors because Nenny is Esperanza’s only problem.
anchor: Esperanza believes Nenny is drowning her and hold her down as an anchor weighs down a ship.