The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

She often writes in the story about her neighbors struggles from success in America. Another purpose possibly was to encourage young latina women. The main character Esperanza wants to represent her neighborhood but she always wants to become successful and beyond the limits of the neighborhood. I personally love this story because it can reach many audiences, especially young girls. The most important purpose in this story to me in the showing of the commonality of puberty The story does a great job in showing how normal the transition to puberty can be. A young girl of all colors can pick up this book and relate to some of the struggles that esperanza faces In her new neighborhood. The theme of finding yourself is also important, “The struggle for self-definition is a common theme in a coming-of-age novel, or bildungsroman, and in The House on Mango Street, Esperanza’s struggle to define herself underscores her every action and encounter. Esperanza must define herself both as a woman and as an artist, and her perception of her identity changes over the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel Esperanza wants to change her name so that she can define herself on her own terms, instead of accepting a name that expresses her family heritage” (SparkNotes Editors, 2004) As stated earlier, a really great read for those who want the latino

Many gender roles and themes are observed, throughout the course of this story, in particular, the single mother role. Women are also contrasted with the men as their lives are constrained inside of the home while the men are permitted to enjoy life outside. Divisions in gender are revealed from the very beginning of the book. For example, in “Boys & Girls,” Esperanza communicates the contrast between herself and her brothers, Kiki and Carlos as she states, “The boys and the girls live in separate worlds. The boys in their universe and we in ours. My brothers for example. They’ve got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside they can’t be seen talking to girls” (Cisneros 8). Esperanza can only interact with her sister, Nenny, but Nenny is "too young to be [her] friend" (Cisneros 8). Esperanza is lonely and dreams of a true friend. She feels that she is like "a red balloon, a balloon that is tied to an anchor" (Cisneros 9). Esperanza is apprehensive that she will be trapped on Mango Street, like all the other women. This particular situation demonstrates the first indication of gender issues in her community.

In “Sire” Esperanza sees Sire and his girlfriend Lois and can’t help but fantasize what it would be like to be Lois. “But mama says those kinds of girls, those girls are the ones that go into alleys” (Cisneros 73). Esperanza doesn’t quite understand what her mother meant, but she understands that what Lois and other “kinds of girls” are not what she should try to be if she wants to heed to her parents guidance. Her parents understand the dangers of what could happen if Esperanza starts dabbling in teen relationships as do most adults in twenty-first century. She doesn’t fully understand what a romantic relationship is like but sometimes she wishes she could “sit out bad at night, a boy around [her] neck and the wind under [her] skirt” (Cisneros 73). She knows that what she wants is bad, but she nonetheless wants to discover it for herself,

The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a story about a mexican american girl named Esperanza growing up in chicago. Esperanza’s life is similar to mine because we both have an interesting life. But our stories are different because she faces more issues in her life.

Ethnicity, especially within the context of the United States, has been something that has continued to be fraught with both a positive and dark history. Ethnicity and race still play huge roles in American society centuries after its foundation. One of the books I feel perfectly touches on ethnicity in America specifically is Sandra Cisneros The House on Mango Street. Cisneros tells a coming of age story through brief episodes of a girl named Esperanza her life varying from things about her family, neighborhood, and different dreams and goals that she has. The House on Mango street is a personal and touching look at what it means to be a minority/immigrant in America as well what it means to grow up poor. In this book report, I will try to discuss this book 's themes, characters and story while also relating it to the class.

It is located in a community where there are not many Latinos and Latinos are seen as foreign. This area where Esperanza lives is considered a barrio, which is a Spanish-speaking quarter of a town or city, especially one with a high poverty level. Throughout the book, she struggles with the shame and isolation she feels that comes with living in the barrio. She is seen as different to her classmates because of who she is and where she comes from. In some cases Esperanza also feels envy to those who have the dream house and dream life that she wants. Not the Mexican-American life she is stuck in. In one of the vignettes “Those Who Don’t,” symbolizes the “white” people who leave a neighborhood because Latino families move in or those who are too scared to be in the neighborhood because of the people in it. This chapter shows the racial prejudice Esperanza faces every day. Even though she knows she would be afraid in a foreign neighborhood from her own. She implies that fear depends on the lack of knowledge of the neighbors and the residents. Esperanza’s on going struggle to fit has a lot to do with where she lives. And the struggle and prejudices she experiences leads her to have a a dream, of which she owns, loves, and is proud of unlike the one she has

NEW/OLD Title: The House on Mango Street Author: Sandra Cisneros Main Characters (Protagonist/Antagonist), Title, & Traits: Esperanza – narrator – writer/storyteller, matures throughout story (dynamic/developing character), outcast, confused, growing/maturing/coming of age Mama – domestic, safe place for Esperanza, somewhat clueless Papa – boss, strict, “straight” Nenny – Esperanza’s younger sister, they are more alike than Esperanza likes to admit, childish Alicia – forced to grow up/act as mother of house – controlling father – wants to have knowledge – wise Sally – Esperanza’s “friend” – sexually curious – uses sexuality to escape controlling, abusive father only to marry an older, controlling, abusive man – secretly rebellious Setting:

In The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, twelve-year-old Esperanza Cordero must navigate through the trials and tribulations that one can associate when encountering young adulthood. The author Cisneros, utilizes her unique writing style of vignettes to illustrate the narrative voice of Esperanza in her text. A major theme that can be seen as the most prominent thus far, is on the feminist role of Esperanza as a female in her Latin American culture. The House on Mango Street is an overall Bildungsroman that can be considered to be a feminist work of literature. The Bildungsroman is encompassed by various feminist values throughout the text of written work, regarding the particular subject. The writer, Cisneros’ feminist views are

The House on Mango Street is a novel written by Sandra Cisneros. She wrote this book about a young girl named Esperanza Cordero. Esperanza has a big dream to leave Chicago, however there are many things stopping her. She and her family live in a poor but joyous neighborhood. However it has a dark side, poverty can lead people into making bad decisions.

In the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza is finding her place in the world by growing physically and mentally, overcoming gender roles, and discovering her freedom.

The house on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is really a coming of age novel of a Mexican American female developing in a working class Chicago neighborhood. The writer is similar to the main character Esperanza in a number of ways. It being that Cisneros was in addition a Mexican American female growing up in a Chicago working class community. While Esperanza is ashamed of becoming a Mexican American around white Americans, Cisneros is proud to be considered a Mexican American female. But she endeavors to defy the roles and limitations of this culture. In the novel, Cisneros portrays the problems that Latino females face in a culture which respect them as lower class people. A culture which is stressed by males, along with a general public which esteems females for whatever they resemble, moreover not for what's on the inside.

However, this contributes to Esperanza’s developmental stage of puberty and aids in the exploration of her identity and sexuality. She struggles in wanting to remain independent, but becomes more intrigued with boys as the plot carries

Since its publication in 1984, The House on Mango Street grows in popularity within inner-city grade schools to universities across the country -- it is a coming of age tale for a Mexican-American girl named Esperanza Cordero living in a fictional poor neighborhood in Chicago called Mango Street. Though it is called a novel, Cisneros creates The House on Mango Street with forty-four vignettes that thoughtfully depicts Chicano culture and what are the roles of women in this society; as Esperanza observes different characters in each vignette, she understands that the same force that ensnares Esperanza to Mango Street is the same force that encourages Esperanza’s desire to leave Mango Street. Cisneros uses Esperanza as a vehicle to go

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is about Esperanza Cordero, a girl living in Chicago struggling to identify who she is. Through the experiences Esperanza encounters, she feels neglected living in a culture where women are considered inferior to men. Observing different figures around her, Esperanza begins to question her own identity, and starts to grab her own power, and eventually decides to be independent. Through metaphors, epiphanies and symbolism, Cisneros conveys that repression and stereotypes with a person ultimately compels them to desire and search for self identity through experiences, and emotions

Esperanza sees all of the women around her, and how most of them are quite alike. The overall idea of the women that live on Mango Street is that they are property to their husbands. They cannot do anything unless their husbands allow them to. It also starts out at a young age. The young girls like Esperanza, also see the women that live around them and think that is the way to live. They admire these older women, so they start to mature faster than they should. We witness Esperanza blossoming from an innocent, shy girl to one who witnesses much, but all of this makes her strong and clear about her desires for her life. What she sees is the male