An Overview of the Stolen Party

The Stolen Hour

In the story of The Stolen Hour by Lillian Hecker she tells us an interesting story of a young girl and her experiences that could change her for the rest of her life. The young girl named Rosaura is the daughter of a servant that works for a wealthy family, but young Rosaura does not see herself as poor and insignificant. She believes she is just as good as everyone else. Although Rosaura is not a part of the same social and economical category as the people at the party, she doesnt see herself in the light, until an event in the story takes place and she begins to distinguish herself in a way that is completely opposite of what she thinks at the stories beginning.

All of Rosauras young life she is constantly told who she is, and of her irrelevance compared to that of the rich people. As she is getting ready to go to the party to see her friends, her mother says, You know who you are to them? The Maids daughter, thats what (Hecker handout). After being told over and over by others who you are, sometimes we feel limited as to what we may be able to become. In everyday life, my friends parents are doctors, and all of his life others have told him that he would become a doctor. Just as Rosaura is often told of her place and of her options, he too felt the pressure of his surroundings to conform to what others thought he should be. Rosaura at the party is told she is not even a friend to the girl having the party, but again she is called the daughter of an employee (Hecker handout). The ending of the story reveals many instances that make Rosaura actually realize herself and what is going on around her the entire time at the party, in this moment when she receives the money instead of a gift like the other children, she is being told that she is not a little girl having a good time. She is just an employee. She start to realize what her mother has told her all along about people and the restrictions that classes in society try to put on lower groups.

Throughout the story Rosaura has a great imagination and very positive views on life. When her mother tells her it is a rich peoples party trying to infer that is not her place to be, Rosaura puts them on the same level by saying, Rich people go to heaven too (Hecker handout). Rosaura does not to settle in life with trivial things she wants a big nice house and wonders if her mother will still love her if she becomes rich (Hecker handout). Here we see Rosaura looking forward toward the future not ruling out anything. She knows in her life she will become something. We find out she is one of the smartest girls in her class and she is also very pretty. Just before the end of the story we realize what a strong character the young girl is, she has many pleasant hopes and dreams for the future. Her site seems very narrow and set on coming out of poverty. Then, the incident comes about when the money is trying to be given to her. This totally changes all of the views we imply about the young girl having of growing up and prospering. She finds herself discovering what her future might be instead of all those wishful things she has dreamed of. It may in fact be simple and plain, just the very things in life she has been trying to get away from

In Rosauras life we see a world she wants and the actual world in which she lives. As she goes to the party, sees the monkey, wins all the games, and is chosen for the magicians assistant, in the meanwhile she is serving cake and helping in the kitchen this shows examples of the world she wants and the one she lives. She wants so bad to just be thought of as one of the other children, but she is different. She says she is invited to the party as a friend, but we know she is invited just to help out. She liked passing out cake because everyone noticed her and she felt wanted, but they really just wanted cake. She doesnt yet actualize her meaning at the party, the poor innocent girl. We can see what is going on the entire time. It reminds me of when I was a freshman in high school and a senior girl had been nice to me all day, I began to think she liked me, then at the end of the day she wanted me to fix her car. Again after she is offered the money she finds the intent of her presence and her dream world seems to fade away and she sees begins to realize the big picture to well. The true world began to stand out, she understands all along why everyone was nice, why she was able to go in the kitchen and nobody else, and why she was able to do all the task that she thought was just helping a friend. Now she is able to draw a direct distinction of the real world and her impressions of what she hoped and believed was going on.

All the events in the story lead young Rosaura to believing that her opportunities are few. As the story began she was just an innocent little girl wanting to go to a birthday party, then as the story progressed to the end she looses this innocence and begins to recognize and conclude that she is different from the other children. At the turning point, when the money is offered in place of the toy, Rosauras character I believe undergoes a complete change. She actualizes that she may be just the daughter of an employee; her views change from positive to negative, and her fantasy world disappears. This self-realization could harm a young person for life, as it did Rosaura. These actions lead me to the conclusion that children should always be told that they can be anything, and even if they cant we have no right to make them believe that they are restricted in the amount that they may be able to achieve.