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The House On Mango Street Analysis

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“You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can't erase what you know. You can't forget who you are” (105). No matter what, Esperanza’s experiences on Mango Street have become a part of her and she cannot change it. In the novella, The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros, the author introduces Esperanza, a resident of Mango Street, who constantly dreams of becoming an independent woman with a house of her own ideals. As she and her family purchase a house and become a newcomer into a new neighborhood of a crowded and poor Latino area, Esperanza faces mental and physical changes that affect how she sees the world. Sadly, the characteristics of the house consist of nothing of her desires. Due to her …show more content…

“In the movies, there is always one with red red lips who is beautiful and cruel. She is the one who drives the men crazy and laughs them away. Her power is her own. She will not give it away” (89). Later in the novella, Esperanza wants to transform into the gal of the movies by attempting to be more desirable to men as well as being able to be herself. The lass takes her first shot to begin a “quiet war” by refusing to wash the dishes and pushing her chair in to be like a man that increases the hassle and work for other women, or in this case her mother. Although until later in the book, her mother advises her to be a “smart cookie” to stay in school and depend on herself than anyone else instead of having a childhood that would not lead her to her true potential. Esperanza later on befriends Sally with the same intentions of being sexually bold. Unlike Esperanza, Sally consistently hangs around boys who force her to do wrong things. Ultimately, the protagonist was manhandled, making Esperanza rethink her decision on converting into the movie girl. Not to mention that an identity, is nothing without the people and place one is born or lives with. The location and family around one helps shape them to be who they are. The people on Mango Street helped Esperanza become who she

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