The House On Mango Street Analysis

Esperanza faces a large amount of adversity, which she must overcome, living on Mango Street. Esperanza knows that overcoming her situation on Mango Street will prove to be a challenge for her. “[The four skinny trees] strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath ground. They grow up and down and grab the earth between hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger. This is how they keep.” (Cisneros 74) This quote describes that Esperanza can overcome her situation of being on Mango Street just like the skinny trees can grow up through the concrete. Esperanza feels that she must eventually come back to Mango Street because it was her first home. “They will not know I have gone away and come back.” (Cisneros 110) This quote symbolizes that even though Esperanza believes she does not belong on Mango Street that she is a part of it and she cannot change that. Esperanza copes with daily life by telling stories, stories of Mango Street and all those who lived on it. Esperanza’s ability to overcome the adversity in her neighborhood makes her a great choice for the show.

Sandra Cisneros’ novel, “The House on Mango Street,” is about the adventures and ways of a small side street. We get to see how the main character, Esperanza grows and matures throughout her time on Mango Street. Since the book is written in first person, Esperanza expresses her thoughts and feeling straight to the reader. In the novel, Mango street typically houses residents with poor backgrounds, and is used as a temporary home for most. Although many people who live on Mango street move out in a short period of time, Esperanza stays in the house she hates longer than anyone else. She constantly watches her friends leave, and has to make new friends every time someone moves in. After experiencing this many times, I believe that Esperanza no longer continues to see herself as a resident on Mango street, but a part of Mango street. This is her distinct point of view compared to the others on mango street.

All the people on Mango Street were struggling to get by, but they seemed satisfied with just making it. Esperanza was not. There were characters like Esperanza’s mother who was a “smart cookie,” and could’ve been anything, but she let shame get the best of her and dropped out of school. There was also Rafaela who got married before the 8th grade just so she could move into her own house, but her husband never let her leave the house afterward. He never let her see her friends, and the highlight of her week was getting coconut or papaya juice from someone who would send it up in a paper bag attached to a clothespin since she couldn’t leave the house. Lastly, there was the time when she was left stranded by the tilt-a- whirl waiting for a friend that never came back and got molested by a group of boys. The only witnesses were the red clown statues that seemed to be laughing at her. Nevertheless, she let none of this stopped her from going forward and perusing her dream. She still seemed to be struggling with a sense of belonging, but maybe that’s because she didn’t.

Esperanza says, “I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free”( Cisneros 110). Esperanza tries to reassure herself by writing down that she will leave. The reassurance writing gives Esperanza is a form of freedom to her. Esperanza just wants to leave Mango Street but still return. Alicia says to Esperanza, “You must remember to come back for the ones who cannot leave as easily as you” (Cisneros 105). Esperanza realizes she is special and uses her education to get out of Mango Street. When Esperanza returns to help the ones who cannot leave as easily she will bring education back with her to share with all the women so they can also be free. Esperanza uses writing to make herself feel free from the roles forced upon her. She uses education to actually set herself free from society and one day comes back and give the women what they need to escape.

Esperanza, a strong- willed girl who dreams big despite her surroundings and restrictions, is the main character in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Esperanza represents the females of her poor and impoverished neighborhood who wish to change and better themselves. She desires both sexuality and autonomy of marriage, hoping to break the typical life cycle of woman in her family and neighborhood. Throughout the novel, she goes through many different changes in search of identity and maturity, seeking self-reliance and interdependence, through insecure ideas such as owning her own house, instead of seeking comfort and in one’s self. Esperanza matures as she begins to see the difference. She evolves from an insecure girl to a

Esperanza had always desired a new home, but realizes Mango Street will always be a part of her. “I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it” (5). At first Esperanza wanted an escape from Mango Street, she was embarrassed of where she came from. But as she grows as a person and is exposed to devastations in other people's lives around her, she realizes something much more ugly than just the looks of Mango Street. “You must keep writing. It will keep you free, and I said yes, but at that time I didn’t know what she meant” (61). Writing kept Esperanza free, and helped her cope with her problems. Esperanza later perceives why her aunt wanted her to continue writing, because not everyone had something to set them free from Mango Street. “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones who cannot out”(110). Instead of leaving to never return, Esperanza realizes the women in her community have it

Throughout the novel, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, we see the main character, Esperanza, overcome several obstacles in her life and evolve as the novella progresses. Esperanza feels empowered by many things in her life, but most often we see her use her writing as an empowering vehicle for her escape from all of her troubles in her day to day life.

The House on Mango Street is a bildungsroman about a young Latina girl, named Esperanza Cordero, who has various struggles while she is searching to determine who she is and where she belongs in this world. The author, Sandra Cisneros, addresses several themes in the book of which three are significant; language barrier, self discovery, and gender roles.

Esperanza is a shy but a very bright girl. She dreams of the perfect home now, with beautiful flowers in their luscious garden and a room for everyone to live in comfortably all because of the unsatisfied face the nun made that one afternoon--when she moves to the house of Mango Street. She thinks it’s going to be a “grand house on a hill that will have a bedroom for everyone and at least three washrooms so when they took a bath they would not have to tell everybody.” (Cinceros 4) Reality is so different for her when her dream is shot down in a heartbeat when she

Growing up and chasing your goals can be tough for some people because of their financial status or surroundings and more for a child that has to go through it at a young age. But what actually takes people far to succeed in life is to work diligently and to never capitulate. Esperanza Cordero, a girl who dreams are significant, is the main character on The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, who represents the females of her needy neighborhood who desire to enhance and change themselves despite their surroundings and restrictions while she struggles to confront her neighborhood’s poverty. Because of her Mexican heritage, Esperanza hopes to change the typical role of women in her family and neighborhood. Throughout the book, Esperanza goes through several changes to seek her identity, maturity and independence. Throughout the novel Esperanza evolves from an immature, innocent girl to a mature young lady because of the experiences of having to deal with abuse, poverty and the fact that she wanted to be distinct.

Esperanza was ashamed of the house she lived in, the clothes she wore, her appearance and even her name. Esperanza’s confidence was already extremely low. For instance, she was talking to a nun at her school about being able to eat lunch at school because she lived to far away to walk home and eat. The nun glared out the window and pointed at a rundown house and asked if Esperanza lived there. Even though she did not live there, Esperanza replied, “Yes.” After the nun made this rude remark, Esperanza cried because she was disappointed that the nun thought it was her house. She let the nun get the best of her. It is crucial to keep a positive attitude and try your hardest to make the best of your situation, as it will enable you to live a happier life and be more successful in what you do. Although at times Esperanza was humiliated and embarrassed, such as when Tito and Sally started to laugh at her when she tried to stop them from kissing Sally, she didn’t let these situations keep her down. Esperanza was sad that one of her good friends would do such a thing to her, when she was only trying to protect her, but continued to persevere and made the best of the

Due to her experiences and age, she is a canvas that other people paint on. As Esperanza grows up she becomes keen to the world around her. Time after time again she witnessed the unjust position of women. Unfortunately, this was the only world she knew. Her beliefs altered to mold that of her mother and other women around her.

This girl, who is slowly maturing into a woman, does not want a jaded life that is controlled by men but instead wants to have independence. The numerous events that occurred during Esperanza’s childhood may have affected her by giving her the tendency to be around bad things but she herself can decide her own future with her efforts.

Saddened but also encouraged by her friends’ experiences, Esperanza wants to become a writer, and change her dreams into reality.

As stated previously, Cisneros' style in The House on Mango Street suggests to us that liberation can be achieved through an art form, rather than physically picking up and moving your residence. Esperanza overcomes her condition by creating the realm of literature, rather than the physical reality of another house in another time and place. In this way, she is able to distance herself from her community and family. But all the while, still holding on to her heritage and ethnicity. By affirming her own artistic ability, Esperanza is able to blend all of her dreams. Because of this we come to understand that one can achieve self-discovery and even independence through something so remote as literature. This is where I find Cisneros' influence the most powerful. I believe she is stressing a theme here, not just for Hispanics, but for all minorities as well. She lets them know that liberation can be achieved within several realms of the human experience.