A Smart Cookie Summary

Esperanza's mother tells her that she could have been somebody. She was a smart cookie, talented and beautiful. She sings opera, draws, and has brains. However, now she only cooks and draws with a needle and thread. Sometimes she sings to Madame Butterfly in the morning, spellbinding Esperanza and her brothers and sisters. Esperanza's mother tells her that she needs to go to school and always follow her brains. She used to have brains, but not the right clothes. That is her reason for never having made something of herself.

A Smart Cookie Analysis

Esperanza's mother advises her daughter on her past. While Esperanza has now grown into an intelligent young woman, has observed all sorts of women around her, and is truly forming opinions of her own, her mother throws her past at her. By forcefully telling Esperanza...