Summary And Response To Eperanza's The House On Mango Street

The House on Mango Street Summary and Response
In the vignette titled “Hairs”, Esperanza compares the diverse hair found in her family. For every member, their hair is unique and individual amongst others. Her fathers is wild, her own is untamable, her brother’s Carlos’s hair is straight, her sister’s Nenny’s is smooth, and Kiki’s is furry. However, her mother’s hair is special. To Esperanza, her mother’s hair is comforting, sweet, and soothing. The way Esperanza views her mother’s hair, is similar to the way a child in general views their maternal figure-- a loving, warm, and caring presence. Through this excerpt of the novella, it is seen how much Esperanza loves her mother and how she, and the rest of the family, are associated with pleasant

To them, they feel scared, in danger, and afraid of the people and environment. But to those who live there, they know better. People like Esperanza know everybody and feel safe around others. However, if they were to go to another neighborhood, they too would be frightened. This excerpt depicts a sort of racial prejudice found in society. It all depends on if you know the people in that neighborhood. “But we aren’t afraid. We know the guy with the crooked eye is Davey the Baby’s brother, and the tall one next to him in the straw brim, that’s Rosa’s Eddie V., and the big one that looks like a dumb grown man, he’s fat Boy, though he’s not fat anymore nor a boy.” (Cisneros 28). She understands this sad truth found in society, showcasing her maturity and comprehension of how the world works and how people feel in a foreign environment. By understanding such a thing, Esperanza expresses her intelligence, maturity, and feelings about

Living in the basement apartment below Meme Ortiz’s home, lives Louis and his family. Louise’s family consists of his younger sisters, parents, and two cousins. The first of his cousins is Maris. She lives with Louie while the rest of her family is in Puerto Rico. Esperanza has only seen Louie’s other cousin once. A group of neighborhood kids were playing volleyball in the alley, when he drove up in a fancy yellow Cadillac. It had a white interior, FM radio, and the windows went up and down at the touch of a button. He had let them take a ride several times around the alley and block, when suddenly, police sirens neared. He quickly evacuated the automobile and sped off, while a cop car followed. When the Cadillac tried to make a turn, it ended up crashing into a lamppost. The police arrested Louie’s cousin. Louie’s cousin had stolen the car, however, instead of immediately running away, he had chosen to bring it around the neighborhood and give rides away. This car is quite expensive and classy, a dream car in many peoples’ eyes. When the cousin stole the car, in some way’s he had achieved a dream and had the opportunity to leave his current living conditions. This state of being is something Esperanza seems to admire and hope for. She is oriented with the neighborhood, but she has dreams of a better place as seen on page 5: “I knew then I had to have a house. A real