the story opens with the protagonist, nine-year-old Rosaura, arriving at Luciana's birthday party.

She
confirms that there is a monkey in the kitchen. Rosaura is relieved because her mother had insisted it
was nonsense to believe a monkey would be at a birthday party.

The narrative digresses to depict the conversation Rosaura and her mother had earlier. Her
mother, Herminia, hesitates to let Rosaura attend a rich person's party, while Rosaura wants nothing
more than to go. Herminia reminds Rosaura that Luciana's mother invited Rosaura not because she is
Luciana's friend, but because she is the daughter of Luciana's mother's maid. Rosaura refutes this.
Herminia is aware of her daughter's high opinion of herself and accuses her daughter of liking to
"fart higher than her ass." Rosaura disapproves of her mother's coarse language. She secretly wishes
to be rich and live in a large house one day. She wonders if her mother will still love her.

Despite their argument, on the day of the party Rosaura discovers that her mother has starched her
formal Christmas dress. At the party, Rosaura is thrilled to confirm the monkey's presence in the
kitchen. She is proud when Señora Ines compliments her ability to carry a jug of orange juice without
spilling a drop. Rosaura is the only child allowed into the kitchen to help serve the guests: Señora
Ines says the others are too boisterous.

Luciana's cousin interrogates Rosaura about who she is and how she knows Luciana. Rosaura says
they do homework together, and that she is "the daughter of the employee," a phrase her mother
told her to use. Before the cousin can probe further, Ines intervenes and asks Rosaura to help serve
hot dogs.

Rosaura finds that she has never been so happy. She wins the sack race and all the boys want her to
be on their team for charades. Ines asks Rosaura to help serve the slices of cake, and Rosaura feels a
queen's power of life and death over her subjects as she decides who deserves the most generous
and the most measly slices. During the magic show, Rosaura holds the small monkey in her arms
while the magician makes it disappear. The magician thanks her, referring to her as his little countess.

When her mother comes to take her home, Rosaura is filled with emotions and impressions from the
day. She is thrilled to report what the magician said, for which Herminia playfully teases her
daughter. Before Rosaura and her mother leave, Señora Ines asks Rosaura to wait. Rosaura's mother
grows worried, but Rosaura assumes she is about to receive a parting gift like the other children have
received. She watches Ines fetch a blue bag of yo-yos for boys and a pink bag of bracelets for girls.

When Ines tells Herminia what a marvelous daughter she has, Rosaura believes her excellent
behavior might merit two gifts. However, Ines instead withdraws two bills from her purse and holds
them out to Rosaura, saying she truly deserves the money for all the help she provided. The story
ends on the image of Rosaura and her mother standing with their arms tight to their sides, insulted
by the gesture, while Ines remains still, unable to withdraw the money for fear of shattering the
delicate balance that keeps her in a position of power over the working-class women.
Rosaura
Rosaura is the story's protagonist. At nine years old, Rosaura sees the world in terms of equality and merit,
which conflicts with her mother's understanding of social status as being determined by class. Rosaura aspires
to be rich one day, and believes that good behavior will set her apart as special and deserving of rewards and
praise. She has glossy black hair, and the magician singles her out as having "Spanish eyes."
Herminia
Herminia is Rosaura’s mother, who works as a maid. She is hesitant to let her daughter attend her rich
employer's daughter's birthday party. While she might seem strict and cruel by reminding Rosaura that they
occupy lower class positions than Luciana and her mother, it becomes clear that Herminia seeks to protect her
daughter from being offended. Herminia speaks in coarse language, of which her daughter disapproves.
Luciana
Luciana is the girl to whose party Rosaura is invited. Luciana and Rosaura do homework together after school
while Rosaura’s mother cleans the house. The girls share secrets.
Señora Ines
Luciana's mother Señora Ines is a rich woman who employs Rosaura's mother as a maid. During the birthday
party, Ines compliments Rosaura's abilities and maturity while asking her to help serve drinks and food. At the
end of the story, Ines tries to give Rosaura money to compensate her for the labor she provided.
Luciana's Cousin
Upon seeing Rosaura, Luciana’s cousin interrogates Rosaura about who she is and how she was invited to the
party. With hostility, she insists that she is not actually one of Luciana's friends, because she knows all of
Luciana's friends. She is blonde and wears a bow.
The Magician
The magician is man hired to entertain the children at Luciana's party. He performs magic tricks with the help
of a monkey, whom he refers to as his partner. The magician is cruel to a boy who has stage fright. He refers to
Rosaura as his little countess.
grumble
complain or protest about something in a bad-tempered but typically muted way
magician
an entertainer who performs magic tricks
palace
a large, luxurious house, typically the residence of exalted persons
exalted
placed at a high or powerful level or held in high regard
apple vinegar
a fermented, probiotic vinegar made from crushed apples
starched
clothing stiffened through use of starch, an odorless substance derived from cereals and potatoes
glossy
smooth and shiny
butterfingers
informal term for someone who handles object clumsily
employee
a person hired to work for wages or a salary, particularly at a low level
charades
a game that involves people guessing a word or phrase based on clues other players act out nonverbally
handkerchief
a square of woven material usually used for blowing one's nose
sissy
a derogatory term for a person considered cowardly, feeble, or effeminate
countess
the wife of a count or earl; a woman of high rank
yo-yo
a toy made of joined disks that uses momentum and weight to be spun upward and downward on a string
looped around the user's finger
beam to smile radiantly
Theme
Social Class and Economic Inequality
The prejudice that arises from differences in social class and socioeconomic status is the central theme of "The Stolen
Party." While Rosaura prefers to believe she has been invited to Luciana's party because the girls are friends,
Rosaura's mother insists that she was invited because she is their maid's daughter. Rosaura resists the implication
that she and her mother exist on a lower societal rung as a result of her mother's employment as a maid. But despite
Rosaura's desire to participate in the party as a regular guest, her presence is questioned by Luciana's cousin. Señora
Ines also enforces Rosaura's class position by having Rosaura assist in serving drinks and cake, which she rewards
with cash rather than the parting gifts the other children receive. Señora Ines's reluctance to withdraw her offer of
money even when Rosaura and her mother are evidently offended proves how deeply notions of class difference have
penetrated Ines's understanding of the world, to the extent that even her child's birthday party must remain socially
segregated. Ultimately, the experience confirms Rosaura's mother's belief that Rosaura would be treated differently
than other children. Despite her attempts to warn her daughter, Rosaura's mother is unable to prevent Rosaura from
experiencing the insult of being treated as low-status.
Innocence
Rosaura's staunch belief that her friendship with Luciana is genuine exposes her idealistic and innocent view of the
world. Despite her mother constantly reminding Rosaura of her place in society, Rosaura sticks with her trust in
equality and friendship. Until the end of the story, Rosaura believes she is on the same level as all the other children
at the party, even convincing herself briefly that her excellent behavior will be rewarded with both a yo-yo and a
bracelet. However, Rosaura's innocence is shattered when Señora Ines proves to Rosaura that she was invited to the
party as an employee and not a guest. Heker also conveys the theme of innocence in how the boys, who do not know
of Rosaura's socioeconomic status, treat her as they do each other. Like Rosaura, they have not lived long enough to
assimilate the prejudiced attitudes that hierarchical societies implicitly promulgate.
Shame
Another of the story's major themes is shame. At the beginning of the story, Rosaura is embarrassed by her mother's
crass phrases and self-limiting attitude. Rosaura prefers to distance herself from her mother and their low social
status by focusing on her own status as one of the best students in her classroom and fantasizing about one day
owning a palace and being rich. Rosaura's mother accuses Rosaura of thinking herself better than she is and warns
her about associating with rich people. While Rosaura's mother's treatment of her daughter may initially come across
as teasing, by the end of the story it is clear that she was trying to protect her daughter from feeling ashamed of who
she is. Rosaura's mother is well aware of the prejudice that derives from class difference, and so she advises Rosaura
to tell anyone who asks that she is the daughter of "the employee" and "proud of it." Rosaura is too ashamed to be so
boastful, revealing that she is not proud of her mother's status as a maid. In the end, Rosaura's attempts to protect her
daughter's feelings are thwarted when Luciana's mother tries to pay Rosaura for helping during the party. The
gesture confirms Rosaura's mother's suspicion that Rosaura's desire to associate with rich people will lead to
treatment that will precipitate shame.
Merit
Merit—the quality of being particularly good or worthy and thus deserving reward or praise—is another of the
story's major themes. While Rosaura's mother understands her and her daughter's social status as being
predetermined by economic inequality, Rosaura's outlook is meritocratic: she believes that her good behavior and
competitive excellence will result in rewards and kudos. Rosaura is careful to perform every task Señora Ines asks of
her with care and a positive attitude; while waiting to leave the party, Rosaura momentarily believes her helpfulness
and talent in the party games means she merits both a yo-yo and a bracelet. However, her idealistic vision of a
meritocratic world is shattered by Señora Ines, who hands her cash in a gesture that treats her as an employee,
thereby reinforcing a hierarchal social structure organized along lines of class position and economic status.