Sandra Cignero's short story "Eleven" uses uses characterization to illustrate an adolescent's struggle to shape their identity to conform with social expectations. The author uses the speech of Rachel and Mrs. Price to demonstrate that society does not want for one to mature, however, it simply forces arbitrary expectations onto one. When Mrs. Price notices that Rachel has pushed the red sweater onto the very tip of the table, she exclaims, "You put that sweater on right now and no more nonsense." In an attempt at rebellion against the teacher, she said, "But it's not -" However, she was interrupted by a harsh "Now!" from Mrs. Price. The fact that Mrs. Price uses the word "nonsense" to describe Rachel's refusal to touch the sweater, even if it's not hers, shows that her teacher is not willing to listen to Rachel's childish explanation. In this scenario, Mrs. Price does not show understanding to Rachel's situation, which is indicated in the story by her refusal to listen to Rachel's explanation. Mrs. Price imposes the expectation on Rachel that she should stop fussing around and simply "put that sweater on." The author uses the word "but" coming from Rachel to signify her attempts to correct the misunderstanding. But, the teacher's complete ignorance, exemplified by her refusal to allow Rachel to complete her sentence, indicates that she simply wants Rachel to conform to her expectations. The lack of communication between the two shows how the social expectations involuntarily imposed on Rachel does not wait for her maturation.