The House On Mango Street Research Paper

In Sandra Cisneros’ fictional novel The House on Mango Street, she suggests that you have to find yourself before you can change yourself. The author first introduces Esperanza as an insecure young girl; she then changes by becoming more responsible, but still very impressionable; and in the end she turns into an independent woman, with many hopes for the future. Cisneros’ purpose is to show Esperanza’s growth throughout the story to teach people a lesson about growing up and finding out who you really are. Over the course of the novel, Esperanza develops from a small seed to a blossoming flower as a result of hope, success, and independence. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that Esperanza has many dreams and plans for the future. However, her family cannot support her wants. In the first vignette, “The House on Mango Street,” Esperanza says, “They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn’t have to move each year….This was the house Papa talked

In the vignette, “Darius and the Clouds,” Esperanza realizes, “You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad. Here there is too much sadness and not enough sky” (Cisneros 33). This event in the novel proves that Esperanza is growing up because she realizes that you don’t need money to be happy. She is making the best out of what she has. Esperanza also shows change in “Bums in the Attic.” She says, “One day I’ll own my own house, but I won’t forget who I am or where I came from” (Cisneros 87). This quote is effective because it adds to the reader’s appreciation of the story, since many people can relate. Identity can be changed by influences from people or an environment, but some things are permanent. Esperanza must change some parts of her identity to become her true self, the person she has been searching