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Model Significant Passage Identification and Analysis
for “The Stolen Party,” by Liliana Heker
Passage:
But the best was still to come. The best came after Luciana blew out the candles. First the cake. Senora Ines had asked her to help pass the cake around, and Rosaura had enjoyed the talk immensely, because everyone called out to her, shouting “Me, me!” Rosaura remembered a story in which there was a queen who had the power of life or death over her subjects. She had always loved that, having the power of life or death. To Luciana and the boys she gave the largest pieces, and to the girl with the bow she gave a slice so thin one could see through it.
Analysis:
This is so ironic! At the time Rosaura thinks this is “the best” part, and I am sure in retrospect this was the worst part. From her point of view helping is a privilege; little does she know that Senora Ines sees her as “the help.” It is not likely that Rosaura would have compared herself to a queen when giving out the cake if she had known what her true capacity was at the party. It is sad how this experience will take on a very new meaning for Rosaura when she realizes why she was asked to give out the cake. This clearly helps to convey the theme that a person realizing her place in society and understanding her inclusion and exclusion from certain groups is often a difficult experience. Seeing the joy that this experience brings her only makes the pain she will face that much more difficult.
