Sandra Cisneros's The House On Mango Street

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us thinks we’d be happy with more?”(Anonymous) In the story “The House on Mango Street¨, the author Sandra Cisneros writes about a girl named Esperanza who doesn’t feel grateful for what she has and uses that to have a negative outlook on life. The story portrays a theme of sometimes people may not always be grateful for what they have, but it’s what makes them who they are. Throughout the story, Esperanza describes how she feels ashamed because of her environment; “Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives,” (28). Esperanza lives in the bad part of town. Her neighborhood is known for having sketchy and mysterious people in it. Because she lives in this neighborhood people also make assumptions about her. At school one day, Esperanza wanted to stay and eat her lunch but only the privileged kids got to stay and eat. One day, Esperanza decides she wants to stay and eat too. But, when she gives the note to Sister Superior she decides Esperanza she have to still eat at home. she makes Esperanza point to her house and makes her feel ashamed and upset of where she lives; “Which one? Come here. Which one is your house?... That one? She said pointing to a row of ugly three-flats, the ones even the raggedy men are ashamed to go into,” (45). Towards the end of the book Esperanza’s view on Mango Street doesn’t change. She is talking to her

Throughout the story, Esperanza faces difficulties and hardships that help her become who she is. Her environment, her home, and her friends are the ones who shape her to be who she is. Though she may not be grateful for what she has, and who she has, it’s what makes Esperanza who she