Character Analysis
We can't say too much about Rachel's parents, and that's mostly because we never meet them in the story. Rachel tells us that her mama will be making her a cake for her birthday, and her father will join everyone else and sing Happy Birthday, but that's all we get.
Not much analysis you can do with so little information, right? Actually –
Despite only appearing in the background, Rachel's parents serve an important function in the story and provide a contrast between Rachel's world at home and Rachel's world at school. As we mention in our "Settings" section, school represents the social world while the home represents the private world of the family.
Rachel only ever thinks of her parents in a positive light. As she notes,
There's a cake Mama's making for tonight, and when Papa comes home from work we'll eat it. There'll be candles and presents and everybody will sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you (21).
Her parents care for her and her feelings. This is a stark contrast to Mrs. Price, who forces the ugly red sweater on Rachel without consideration for the girl's feelings.
Her parents also make home an emotionally safe place. In a telling detail, Rachel points out,
And maybe one day when you're all grown up maybe you will need to cry like if you're three, and that's okay. That's what I tell Mama when she's sad and needs to cry (2).
At home, crying and displays of emotion are not a cause for embarrassment and rejection. Instead they are met with comfort and support.
In contrast, at school, when Rachel cries like she is "three in front of everybody," she wishes she "was invisible" (19). The comfort and support of the family are absent in the world outside the home.
Again, though the details we have for Rachel's parents are sparse, the way they provide contrast to the details of Rachel's school life give us an excellent look at important differences between the family and the social world in "Eleven."