In some of the most sickeningly sweet lyrics ever put to music, Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles once asked, "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" Had either of the singers read "Eleven," they might have known the answer to that question. Our narrator Rachel is eleven years old and entering the time of her life when she will begin making the transition between her family life and society—or as your parents might have call it, the "Real World." During the red sweater incident, Rachel tries to remember that her family will be waiting for her after school with a birthday celebration, but by the day's end, even she knows that her family's support won't be able to fix everything. Sometimes growing up is hard to do.
Questions About Family
- Why do you think school isn't as comforting a place for Rachel as the home is? How does this change Rachel's relationship with her family/home by the story's end?
- What do you see as the major difference between Mrs. Price and Rachel's mother? How do these differences change their relationship with Rachel, and how you view this theme in the story?
- How do you see Rachel's father as relating to the theme of home in the story?
Chew on This
Rachel's happiness and security is centered on the people from her home life, yet the home itself is provided no details at all—is it a house or apartment, does it have a yard? That much is left to our imaginations.
Rachel's school life suggests she is moving into the larger, social world, yet it's interesting to note that the only relationships she exhibits in school are with either girls or women.