Does Sandra Cisneros Use Metaphors In Salvador Late Or Early

Responsibility
In Sandra Cisneros' short story, “Salvador Late or Early”, the main character, Salvador, is established as a responsible young boy through Cisneros use of metaphors. In the sentence, “Arturito has dropped the cigar box of crayons, has let go the hundred little fingers..”, Cisneros uses the metaphor to compare how Salvador is like an adult. This is due to the fact that crayons relate to kids, which is what Salvador still is, while the cigar box relates to an adult. Adults tend to have more responsibilities than children do, which may be Cisneros way of showing that Salvador looks like a child on the outside, but has the burden of an adult on the inside, because of the responsibilities he has when it comes to his brothers. Another

way that Cisneros percieves Salvador as a responsible young boy is when she says, “Salvador, late or early, sooner or later arrives with the string of younger brothers ready.” This brings up the idea that no matter what, Salvador will always be there to take care of his brothers. Usually children that are around Salvador’s assumed age would be learning how to take care of themselves; however, in Salvador’s case, he must learn how to take care of not only himself, but also his brothers. Through Cisneros use of metaphors, we can gather that Salvador is a responsible child everyday, due to the fact that he has to take care of his younger brothers.