What is the effect of connecting the snoring, the rain, and Mama's hair ?

 As a little girl Esperanza has no room of her own. Her "own" space includes her father and her mother; they become symbols of safety for Esperanza. Her father's "snoring, the rain, and Mama's hair that smells like bread" remind her of security and innocence.   

about how old do you think the narrator is at the beginning of the novel ?