The Monkey Garden Essay

The coming of age of any girl is a very important and significant moment in their life. In Sandra Cisneros’ “The Monkey Garden” the character of the story has a coming of age experience which will changes her life forever. In the story Cisneros describes the character as a child who enjoys playtime in the abandoned Monkey garden. As she is lost in the adventures of the garden she finds herself changing. Like in every other child who transitions into adulthood, this moment marks a new path in her life. Coming of age is a significant and emotional event in anyone’s life. Not only does it mark the beginning of adulthood but it also means losing your childhood games.

Cisneros portrayed the garden as a world of childhood fantasies. Children used their

imagination and “made a clubhouse once on the back of that old blue pickup (30-31)”. Pretend play is the most important part of being a child and using their imagination. This place was their safe haven and they were free to run and be children. They were able to escape from the reality of life, where no adult would interfere in their doings. Just like any other child would do is to find a place where they can be kids. The character primarily enjoyed this place because it was “far away from where [their] mothers could find [them] (29-30)”. They enjoyed the freedom and the ability to be who they wanted. This was the place they like to escaped to and just have fun. Here they did not worry about chores or responsibilities, all they did was play. Nonetheless, growing up will eventually happen.
There comes a time in life where everything changes and begins to take a different path. A time in life where you start growing up and stop being a child. For our character her time was the moment when she realized she did not fit in anymore in the garden. At first all she wanted to do was “run too, up and down and through the monkey garden, fast as the boys (40-41)”, but it all change one day. She was a child who enjoy being dirty, running, and playing with everyone and everything. Her innocence was her most important aspect at this point. However, as she realized she was not the same anymore. She was growing up and “getting to old to play the games (39)”. She however did not want to let go. Like her many people tend to want to keep their childhood. It is a safe mind set, nothing to worry about. This part of life is what everyone fears, the time where you are not a child anymore. Where you still want to play but does feel right. A place you are not really into dating, but have a crush on your friend. Many will not realize that their coming of age is or will start happening. Separating childhood from the realities of coming of age can be emotional event for all.
As the character is immersed in the fantasies of the monkey garden she begins her realization of the changing truth.

As she plays with the old cars and gets dirty, she feels like all the other kids think she is “crazy and [make her] feel ashamed (73-74)”. She no longer feels like the monkey garden is a place of fun. She is growing up and nothing in the garden feels fitting or right. All somehow seems childish. The characters coming of age is happening right in the garden and this event is not exactly a happy time for her. She realized her fantasy world had to end right when she “looked at [her] feet and their white socks and ugly round shoes (84)”. She knew right there that she did not belong in that world anymore. Her transition was beginning and she felt lost. “[T]he garden that had been such a good place to play (85-86)” was not hers anymore. As she transitioned she realized that the fantasy environment of the monkey garden was not suitable for her anymore. Not only did her coming of age meant she was not a child anymore it meant that she will lose her place in the monkey garden. Nothing seemed so misplaced before, she knew it was over. Her coming of age was the beginning of adulthood and the end of the

garden.
In Sandra Cisneros’s story “The Monkey Garden”, we have the story of girl who experiences her coming of age. She spends her childhood in the illusions of the monkey garden, where everything turns to fun and games. In this garden she and her friends escape from the reality of life and spend their day in fantasy world. Her coming of age is not an easy transition, as she loves her time in the garden. However, as she knows her time in the garden is all fun and games, she also realizes her life is changing. Like in most cases coming of age is not an easy transition, many times it can be emotional. For our character losing her place in the garden was the worst part of her coming of age. For any child losing what they enjoyed the most in being a child is the worst. However, leaving that behind is the most reflective and significant way that coming of age is manifested, which marks the transition into adulthood.