The House On Mango Street Analysis

The House on Mango Street is an interesting novel by Sandra Cisneros, and it was published in 1984. This novel is about a young Mexican-American girl named Esperanza who tells her story through vignettes, revealing the difficulties she experienced growing up with her Family in a low-income neighborhood in chicago. I chose The House on Mango Street because it is an interesting novel that explores race, gender, identity, culture, and socioeconomic status. In this novel, Cisneros incorporates her personal life experiences of being a young Latina female living in a society, dominated by man to describe the problems women were facing in House on Mango Street. During this period, women in the Latino culture and other cultures around the world were being treated as second class citizen, they were only valued for being wives and mothers, and were ostracized by society for wanting more in life. Throughout the novel, we see that Esperanza wants more in life, she has dreams of her own, dreams that goes against the cultural norms of Latinos. Her desire for something more than the house on Mango Street is going to help her move out of poverty by fulfilling her dreams. The negatives circumstances Esperanza endures due to the poor condition of Mango Street and the lack of role models motivated her to escape poverty and seek out a better life for herself.

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

Socioeconomic status is found in the House on Mango Street as a barrier to one’s success. In the novel houses are representative of socioeconomic status. Thus, the shoddier the house the stricter the boundaries are in obtaining a better life. Esperanza quickly learns that the house one lives in symbolizes who they are. She is quick to understand how she is made to “feel like nothing” when a nun questions the house she lives in (p.5). The tone of the nun’s disbelief that Esperanza’s house is something people live in leaves Esperanza feeling shameful. It is extremely degrading for her, because the opinion is coming from a nun, someone who should be nonjudgmental. By understanding the nun’s interpretation of how her house is a terrible place to live, Esperanza understands that the nun connects her with the house. Esperanza thus becomes cynical about her own house, because she does not want to be associated with it. To her it represents poverty and oppression that she wishes to get away from. Sloboda mentions in “A

(hook) Written by Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street is a beautiful coming-of-age story from the perspective of a little Latina girl named Esperanza Cordero, who has just moved to a new house on Mango Street with her family. The story follows Esperanza and the people she encounters during her time on Mango Street as she struggles to find herself as an individual/her identity. During the story, Esperanza discovers how her culture and social class affects her, how she relates to the roles of women in her community, and how to process her hopes and dreams as she matures. These pieces eventually come together in order to help Esperanza form her identity.

For example as stated on page 4, “ Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed. But the house on Mango street is not the way they told at all.”.When the reality of her parents expectations didn’t go the way hoped it created the initial reason for Esperanza’s dream about leaving Mango Street . If their house wasn’t that much of a downgrade to what they have wanted ,Esperanza may not have felt the need to dream about a whole new house of her own. As her character continues to grow, her reason of wanting her own house becomes much more meaningful . Essentially, Esperanza's house will not only show her taste in real estate, but her true self . In other words , her house will act as a safe haven , the place she can escape to express herself and show her true nature. Illustrated on page 87 ,” One day I’ll own my own house, but I won’t forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask,Can I come in? I’ll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I

The Novel, The House on Mango Street, was based on the writer Sandra Cisneros. She was writing this when she was living in Chicago. She was like Esperanza. She want though poverty. She has been heartbroken and deeply joyous. She inventing for herself who and what she will become. This is the life of Esperanza Cordero and based on Sandra Cisneros to all women out there.

The novel, The House on Mango Street, focuses on a young girl who strives to figure out her identity. She continuosly struggles to find her confidence, along with who she is. People tend to struggle with self-acceptance due to society. Society analyzes each person and dissects every one of their flaws, making them want to change themselves to fit expectations. Moving to her new home, Esperanza began to spend all of her time embarrassed. She was ashamed of her new home, and also uncomfortable with her outside appearance. She felt as if her outside didn’t convey the true personality hidden inside her. All Esperanza understood was that she didn’t fit in, and that she is different. Esperanza tries to find the person she truly wants to

Mark Haddon once said, “Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well.” Although, there are many children's adventure books, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cineros is the best by far. The book is intriguing, funny, heart-warming and full of adventure. The book paints a vivid picture of Esperanza and her family living in their new house on Mango Street. Sadly, the house doesn’t meet up to Esperanza’s expectations, but she learns to adjust to her new home. The character of Esperanza in The House on Mango Street expresses the difficulty, adventure, friendships, and maturity in her lifestyle. While living on Mango Street, Esperanza faced many challenges. She acclimated to the consistent move from place to place with her family. In The House on Mango Street page.3, it says, “But what I remember most is moving a lot.” Esperanza moved about four times before moving on Mango Street. She transitions from apartment to apartment, but now her family finally has a home they can call their own. Unfortunately, the house isn’t the house Esperanza dreamed of or seen on T.V. It wasn’t the luxurious three bathrooms, big flat screen television, and large backyard kind of house. This house was small, red with tight steps and small yard. The red bricks are crumbling, the door was swollen, and everyone shared bedroom. Currently, the house accommodates six people: Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, Esperanza and her sister, Nenny. Learning to adjust to her new home,

But when she saw the house that they moved into, it was not what she had expected. In the book, Esperanza says, “But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s 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. There is no front yard, only four little elms the city planted by the curb. Out back is a small garage for the car we don’t own yet and a small yard that looks smaller between the two buildings on either side. There are stairs in our house, but they’re ordinary hallway stairs, and the house has only one washroom. Everybody has to share a bedroom-- Mama and Papa, Carlos and Kiki, me and Nenny.” (Cisneros 4). By reading this, the reader can see the parallel between the house and Esperanza’s struggle with her identity. Esperanza expected her house to be this beautiful, huge, almost mansion-type place, whereas in reality it was a small house, with not much inside. Just like that, Esperanza wants to be this amazing, strong, confident, prolific writer, whereas she does not even know who she is yet. Like the house she imagined, she wants there to be so much to her, but now, she is like her house on Mango Street with not much to her that she has discovered

Lastly, the third theme portrayed in the first few chapters is society and class. Expounding the looks of her house, "Out back is a small garage for the car we don't own yet and a small yard that looks smaller between the two buildings on either side" (4). The description of Esperanza's home contains clues about their social class. Obviously, her family lives in poverty by living in a poor quality house in the impoverished Latino section of Chicago. When a nun from Esperanza's school examines her house, she states, "You live there? The way she said it make me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded" (5). She feels immensely judged by the woman who must live in a much higher social class. The way she says the word there tells Esperanza that there is something wrong with her home.

To begin with, a symbol portrayed in House On Mango Street that is important to the story’s meaning is the canteen. In the vignette, “A Rice Sandwich”, it illustrates the meaning of class structure to Esperanza. For example. Esperanza states that “The special kids, the ones who wear keys around their necks, get to eat in the canteen. The canteen! Even the name sounds important. And these kids at lunch time go there because their mothers aren’t home or home is too far away to get to,” (Cisneros, 43). This quote explains the idea that Esperanza believes that everyone in the canteen is a higher class than she is, receiving more privilege. It symbolizes the deeper meaning of how Esperanza views other classes, both lower and higher. This symbol shows how the conflict of being in a lower class, and how it has always affected her in her life. Even

In a series of vignettes, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, covers a year in the life of Esperanza, who is about twelve years old. During the year, she moves into a house on Mango Street. It is the first home her parents actually own, however she has had a plethora apartments in her life. However, the house is not what Esperanza has dreamed of, for the reason that it is run-down and cramped. For the duration of the vignettes, the readers watch Esperanza struggle but overall mature. In the rest of the vignettes, the readers receive a glimpse of the lives of the women on Mango Street. When reading the readers get to learn and understand these women. They are extremely important because they act as character foils to help the readers better understand Esperanza. During the novel, the women on Mango Street are confined and go through many struggles. The reader also learns about Esperanza's identity.

Another time that Esperanza shows change is when, Esperanza goes to get her future read. She goes to see a "witch woman" named Elenita in hope that she sees if anything in her future includes a house. However Elenita only sees "a home in the heart," which causes Esperanza to be disappointed. However this is a turning point for her in the book, because once this happens she begins to accept the fact that the house on mango street is the closes thing she has to a home right now and she begins to accept it. She still dreams of one day of having her dream house on her own when she grows up, however she finally realizes that The House on Mango street is where she is from. It is her home and there is nothing she can do to change this no matter how much she changes as a person the house on Mango street is still her home.

“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

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.