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The House On Mango Street Sandra Cisneros Analysis

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“The House on Mango Street,” by Sandra Cisneros uses a narrative style to tell the story of Esperanza throughout her childhood.

Cisneros focuses the novel on Esperanza who is an eight-year-old girl who lives on Mango Street. However, Cisneros uses “The House on Mango Street,” as a semiautobiographical memoir. Throughout the novel Cisneros shows how Esperanza’s voice changes and becomes more mature. She was using Esperanza to tell her story but through the eyes of a child. In the vignette “Red Clowns, (99)” Cisneros wrote about Esperanza getting sexually assaulted, “Sally, you lied. It wasn’t what you said at all. What he did. Where he touched me. I didn’t want it, Sally, (99)” she has Esperanza tell the story of her own sexual assault. Cisneros uses Esperanza to spread messages about certain issues that she believes strongly in such as Feminism. “She is the one who drives the men crazy and laughs them all away. Her power is her own. She will not give it away, (89)” Cisneros talks about empowerment and how women should not be afraid to be strong an independent. The message is women can have a claim on themselves and they don’t owe anyone anything. Cisneros uses this coming of age story to define herself through Esperanza. Cisneros tells the story of the community alongside Esperanza’s story. By telling the story of the community as well, Cisneros shows this community that seems content. However, there are many messages that come with telling the story of the community

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