preview

Juxtaposition In The House On Mango Street

Decent Essays

In The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisernos, the main character, Esperanza, goes from having a negative outlook on life to a positive one. Many difficult situations Esperanza faces show her changing perspective on the world around her. An example of Esperanza’s negativity is her feelings towards her home. Esperanza and her family move into a new house, on the not-so perfect, Mango Street. Esperanza has this dream of a “...white [house] with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence” (70), but, “The house on Mango Street isn’t it” (73). The home she lives in is described as being “...small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in” (49). …show more content…

A time in the story where Esperanza feels ashamed of her home is when a nun points “...to a row of ugly three-flats, the ones even the raggedy men are ashamed to go into" (94), and asks if one of the homes belongs to Esperanza. Even though the house did not really belong to Esperanza, she knew her real house wasn't much nicer than the houses the nun pointed to. Esperanza also shows negativity when she complains about her name. Esperanza didn't always like the name she was given, because she doesn't want to end up like her great grandmother, who was forced into marriage, and is basically trapped inside. Esperanza inherited her name, but "[doesn't] want to inherit her place by the window" (51). Esperanza also shows a negative attitude is when she explains that her name “...means sadness, it means

Get Access