The House On Mango Street Theme Analysis

“The House on Mango Street is ours, and we don't have to pay rent to anybody, or share the yard with the people downstairs, or be careful not to make too much noise, and there isn't a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom. But even so, it's not the house we'd thought we'd get… The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn't fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons.” ( chapter 1, page 4.) For Esperanza, the idea of having a house of her own becomes sort of an obsession. The image of the house becomes a symbol for various ideas. Esperanza is so ashamed of where she lives. She also, denies that she lived in Mango Street. Esperanza also stated that is she had the chance she would erase the years that she lived in it. Cathy who was Esperanza's friends until Tuesday was so ashamed of where Esperanza lived. Cathy felt bad for the house that Esperanza called her home. “Where do you live? She asked. There, I said pointing up to the third floor. You live there?” ( chapter 1, page 5.)

Throughout the course of Mango Street, Esperanza’s relationship towards her house change. As time passes her feelings about the house itself change and the emotional impact of the house of her changes as well. Esperanza’s house on Mango Street symbolizes her Mexican culture. For so long she has wanted to leave it. She envisions a different type of life than what she is used to - moving from house to house. “this house is going to be different / my life is going to be different”. One can look at all the things she envisions - the "trappings of the good life" such as the running water, the garden etc. as symbols for the new life.

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.

Everyone who matures has a family and that family shapes that person into who they come to be. The main character, Esperanza from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, is an excellent example of that; Esperanza is an insecure young Latina girl who is shaped by her family as she grows up. In the novel, Esperanza has the perspective of life from the experience of living in poverty. Esperanza dreams of a perfect home with amazing flowers and enough rooms that everyone in her family would each have one. However, she moves to the house on Mango Street, and reality is so different from what she has dreamt of. She receives a tiny run-down house with bricks that are broken down in numerous places around the house. Throughout the

Hook: In the coming-of-age novel, House on Mango Street, the main character Esperanza narrates the story through her perspective of the situations she encounters as she grows older in her new neighborhood.

Often in literature, authors create plot by writing about characters maturing throughout the story. One work that explores childhood to adulthood is The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In this novella, Esperanza Cordero is a young girl who lives in a poverty stricken area in Chicago. During the story, Esperanza grows up from being an adolescent to a young adult. In the novella, the theme is that losing innocence brings about maturity. Cisneros expresses Esperanza growing up by juxtaposing vignettes. Tone is also used to enhance the change in Esperanza’s thoughts while maturing. Both the juxtaposition of vignettes and tone support the theme that the loss of innocence and the gaining of

The House on Mango Street is a collection of vignettes written by Sandra Cisneros that is about a young Mexican-American girl named Esperanza, and the struggles of her life as she transitions from childhood into adulthood. Esperanza wants to find her true identity, but the conflicts and struggles that she faces throughout the story. Her town is a part of her adventure to find her self identity. She picks herself up, learning and figuring herself out throughout the novel. The author uses symbolism throughout the vignettes to convey the deeper meaning of conflicts developed in the novel, to show the difficulties of growing into adulthood.

Many vignettes within Cisneros’s “House on Mango Street” imply powerful imagery, one of which stood out within the introduction, more specifically the section of where Elvira visits Sandra at her house in Chicago. This instance was well described as the surroundings around the mother and daughter were revealed gradually, following the areas where Sandra and her mother went. During Elvira’s tour around the house, certain personal commodities of Sandra’s were highlighted. Examples of which includes her spiral staircase to the roof, fine drapes in the library (implied by her mother commenting on how they must have cost ‘pretty penny’) and her space on the roof of her saffron house. These examples of Sandra Cisneros’ commodities emphasizes the

"My Grandparents, My Parents and Me." My Grandparents My Parents, Mis Abuelos Mis Padres, Frida Kahlo, C0160. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May

Kids usually don't act their age. They either act older or younger. They grow up too fast or too slow. In the book, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, a girl named Esperanza moves to house on Mango Street and doesn't seem to fit in. She meets a girl named Sally at her school and becomes friends with her but Sally is not a good friend. She chooses boys over Esperanza and abandones her a couple of times to be with boys.Ezperanza cant fit in because she is growing up too slow while Sally, who is not a good friend is growing up too fast .Sandra Cisneros develops the theme through character conflicts. The theme of House on Mango Street is not to grow up too fast or too slow.

Major experiences and conflict that happen in one’s life while they are young help to shape one’s perceptions and personality. Conflict is a natural part of growing up. Adversity can help shape important and key parts of knowledge, personality, and problem solving skills Adversity builds personal experiences through conflict which helps establish a new aspect of one’s personality, reveal a new side of a person, and build strengths.

Cisneros employs a few different methods of characterization throughout The House on Mango Street. One method, that is not as prevalent as the others is the use of food to reveal character traits. For example, the character Ruthie’s childish character is shown through her love of candy. Also, Esperanza’s Papa ate “hamandeggs” for three months straight. This shows he was an immigrant who knew little English. Another mention of food came up with Esperanza. On the special occasion where she was able to eat lunch at school, she had a rice sandwich. This was because they did not have lunch meat, further showing their status as a poor immigrant family. Another method Cisneros utilized to reveal characters was the description of physical appearances.

The picture on the coat of arms is one of a golden foot crushing a snake which has its fangs imbedded in the heal of the foot Motto of the Montressor is "“Nemo me impune lacessit.” It means that nobody punishes me and gets away with it. This sign for the situation between Montressor and the man who insulted him for long time. This might lead to tell the ending of this story. Montressor did not let the man get away with his action. He buried the man a life as a punishment for him. Finally, this indicates the motto which says punishment to those who harm Montressor’s name.

The House on Mango Street is about a young girl named Esperanza, who looks at life from experience of living in poverty. Esperanza is a girl who struggles with finding her true self. She dreams of the perfect home, a home with beautiful flowers and also a room for everyone. When she moves to the house on Mango Street, reality is very different than the dream she imagined. Many of the other female characters identify what it is to be a woman, but her neighbor Marin, shows the “true” identity for women on Mango Street. Esperanza also sees how her mother is and how she is not like her. The main struggle that Esperanza has, is with beauty. This explains why most of the negative people that Esperanza meets on Mango Street, and the other women, helped her see the mold she needed to fill in order to give herself an identity.

Samantha Ramirez Professor Colon T2K-Section21 17 September 2014 House on Mango Street Reflection Esperanza Cordero is the main character in the novel, The House on Mango Street written by Sandra Cisneros. Esperanza lives with her family, her father is a gardener and her mother is a housewife. Esperanza and her family has moved several times in these early years of her life. She is a very smart and loving girl but she is very ashamed of things in her own life and is pretty depressed. There are many members in the Cordero family, such as Paco, Rita, Esperanza, Carlos, Kiki and Nenny.