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House on mango street critical analysis
The house on mango street setting analysis
House on mango street critical analysis
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What a Home Really is in The House on Mango Street “Home is where the heart is.” In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros develops this famous statement to depict what a “home” really represents. What is a home? Is it a house with four walls and a roof, the neighborhood of kids while growing up, or a unique Cleaver household where everything is perfect and no problems arise? According to Cisneros, we all have our own home with which we identify; however, we cannot always go back to the environment we once considered our dwelling place. The home, which is characterized by who we are, and determined by how we view ourselves, is what makes every individual unique. A home is a personality, a depiction of who we are inside and how we grow through our life experiences. In her personal, Cisneros depicts Esperanza Cordero’s coming-of-age through a series of vignettes about her family, neighborhood, and personalized dreams. Although the novel does not follow a traditional chronological pattern, a story emerges, nevertheless, of Esperanza’s search to discover the meaning of her life and her personal identity. The novel begins when the Cordero family moves into a new house, the first they have ever owned, on Mango Street in the Latino section of Chicago. Esperanza is disappointed by the “small and red” house “with tight steps in front and bricks crumbling in places” (5). It is not at all the dream-house her parents had always talked about, nor is it the house on a hill that Esperanza vows to one day own for herself. Despite its location in a rough neighborhood and difficult lifestyle, Mango Street is the place with which she identifies at this time in her life. While growing up on Mango Street, Esperanza is not on... ... middle of paper ... ..., “Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free” (134). Although Esperanza is constantly reaffirming that she wants to move away from Mango Street, we know by the end novel that she will one day return to help those who will not have the opportunities Esperanza has had in her life. Indeed, in the closing pages Esperanza admits that she cannot escape Mango Street. She can never again call it home, but it has influenced her dreams, formed her personality, and she has learned valuable life lessons from its inhabitants. That is why, explains Esperanza, she tells stories about the house on Mango Street, revealing the beauty amidst dirty streets and unveiling her true inner self, the peace of knowing that her “home is where her heart is.” WORKS CITED Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 1989.
The House on Mango Street is a novel by Sandra Cisneros. It is set in a poor, Latino neighborhood around 1960. The main character, Esperanza, is expected to get married in order to support herself. However, Esperanza strives for independence, and seeks to end the cycle of abusive patriarchy that holds Mango Street in thrall. Through the use of syntax and figurative language, Cisneros establishes that a sense of not belonging can fuel an individual’s desire for a better future.
Throughout life, many hardships will be encountered, however, despite the several obstacles life may present, the best way to overcome these hardships is with determination, perseverance, and optimism. In The House on Mango Street, this theme is represented on various occasions in many of the vignettes. For this reason, this theme is one of the major themes in The House on Mango Street. In many of the vignettes, the women of Mango Street do not make any attempts to overcome the hardships oppressive men have placed upon them. In opposition, Alicia (“Alicia Who Sees Mice”) and Esperanza are made aware that the hardships presented as a result of living on Mango Street can be overcome by working hard and endless dedication to reach personal hopes
Sandra Cisneros' strong cultural values greatly influence The House on Mango Street. Esperanza's life is the medium that Cisneros uses to bring the Latin community to her audience. The novel deals with the Catholic Church and its position in the Latin community. The deep family connection within the barrio also plays an important role in the novel. Esperanza's struggle to become a part of the world outside of Mango Street represents the desire many Chicanos have to grow beyond their neighborhoods.
In House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza dreams of leaving Mango Street, for a better life of friendship, love, and a house of her own. For example, when she first moves into the house on Mango Street, she thinks, “They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house, that would be
Cisneros' The House on Mango Street is a novel about the importance of not forgetting where you come from. Esperanza, a young Latino girl and the story's main character, wants to adopt a different name and to move far away from Mango Street. Esperanza wants to get away from the neighborhood surrounding Mango Street and play a greater role in a new society. But, at the same time, she is knows that "You can't forget who you are" (Cisneros 105). Because of this statement, and others like it, The House on Mango Street is very much about maintaining a sense of self-identity. These themes are also present in some of Cisneros' short stories, like "Never Marry a Mexican," "Barbie-Q," and "Only Daughter." It is because of the success of stories like these that have helped Cisneros' audience share the minority experience.
The House on Mango Street written in 1984 by Sandra Cisneros, is a novel about a young girl called Esperanza Cordero. This literary analysis will discuss how women are treated and what impact it has on the protagonist’s life. The Male Dominance and violence towards women is a topic present throughout the whole book. Cisneros wants to portrait an image of the society through Esperanza’s experiences. Women occupy a central role in this novel. Growing up, the protagonist sees and understands many things about being a woman in a male dominated society.
After Esperanza recognizes that it may take a while to find her dream house, she starts to appreciate the house on Mango Street. Esperanza realizes how many differences there are between people who have very nice houses and not very nice houses, she begins to think about what her life will be like in the future, “One day I’ll own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask, ‘Can I come in?’ I’ll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house” (Cisneros 64). As Esperanza beings to look at a different perspective of the world, she still looks forward to pursuing her dreams, but she understands the negative impact people may be dealing through, she doesn’t want them to go through what she has to. As Esperanza becomes more mature, she has a greater appreciation for her house: “What I remember most is Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong but do not belong to” (Cisneros 79). Esperanza remembers the house on Mango Street the most out of all the houses she has lived in, she feels like her heart belongs to the house but her mind doesn’t. Thus, Esperanza beings to develop more appreciation towards her house the more she grows up and looks at a different view of
In Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, the vignette “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes” teaches that, in order to mature, one must accept where they come from. In “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes,” the protagonist, Esperanza, finally accepts her past community. Cisneros writes, “I am going to tell you a story about a girl who didn’t want to belong… I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free” (Cisneros 110). When Cisneros uses the phrase “a girl who didn’t want to belong,” she shows that Esperanza was ashamed of where she came from. Specifically, by using the words “didn’t want” she displays how Esperanza truly felt about Mango Street, but now, Esperanza accepts her past community which has helped her to become more mature.
As Haim Ginott once said, "The search for a personal identity is the life task of a teenager." In every child's life they come to a point where they feel unsure about who they truly are as a person. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros uses young protagonist, Esperanza, to explore the struggle many adolescents endure in finding their identity within both their culture and true self. The book focuses on Esperanza, a coming of age young Mexican girl and the experiences of establishing both a cultural and independent identity in the face of oppression. As Esperanza watches the others on Mango Street she compares herself to them, and by writing down all that she notices she is given power to shape her confident self-identity through her
Esperanza, a strong- willed girl who dreams big despite her surroundings and restrictions, is the main character in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Esperanza represents the females of her poor and impoverished neighborhood who wish to change and better themselves. She desires both sexuality and autonomy of marriage, hoping to break the typical life cycle of woman in her family and neighborhood. Throughout the novel, she goes through many different changes in search of identity and maturity, seeking self-reliance and interdependence, through insecure ideas such as owning her own house, instead of seeking comfort and in one’s self. Esperanza matures as she begins to see the difference. She evolves from an insecure girl to a mature young lady through her difficult life experiences and the people she comes across. It is through personal encounters and experiences that Esperanza begins to become sexually aware and acceptance her place and self-definition in her community.
...will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away.” (Cinceros 110) This shows how Esperanza needs to break free of Mango Street and move on because Mango Street has nothing more to offer a young free mind like Esperanza. She will move far away so she can continue on with her American Dream as one person and not have the weight of her family’s American Dream on her shoulders.
In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza, who is a young, Latino girl that lives in the ghettos of Chicago, struggles with her identity. It is the most common theme, and we see a lot of her wanting to change a main part of her identity, which is her name. The reason
Throughout The House on Mango Street Esperanza learns to resist the gender norms that are deeply imbedded in her community. The majority of the other female characters in the novel have internalized the male viewpoint and they believe that it is their husbands or fathers responsibility to care for them and make any crucial decisions for them. However, despite the influence of other female characters that are “immasculated”, according to Judith Fetterley, Esperanza’s experiences lead her to become a “resisting reader” in Fettereley’s terminology because she does not want to become like the women that she observes, stuck under a man’s authority. She desires to leave Mango Street and have a “home of her own” so that she will never be forced to depend on a man (Cisneros 108). During the course of the novel Esperanza eventually realizes that it is also her duty to go back to Mango Street “For the ones that cannot out”, or the women who do not challenge the norms (110). Esperanza eventually turns to her writing as a way to escape from her situation without having to marry a man that she would be forced to rely on like some of her friends do.
Esperanza’s family move into a new house on Mango Street to begin the book. Esperanza isn’t happy about it for very long. Even though her parents finally own a house to themselves now, and it’s an improvement from the apartment, Esperanza is disappointed. The house is small and rundown. She was hoping for a big house. The small house almost makes her feel trapped inside, which is why she spends most of the time outside of the house.
Sandra Cisneros, the author of House on Mango Street conveys her thoughts throughout the whole book. In the book, she has a large family of seven, while in reality she has a family of 9. Both of these families are large, and this allows for the author to express her feeling toward these large families. There are two sides to the story that Sandra Cisneros tries to state. First is the identity already planned out by the people around her including her grandma, neighbors, and family. Then, there is the identity Esperanza tries to make for herself throughout the story. Growing up in an underdeveloped family, Esperanza finds it very hard to express her own thoughts. Esperanza dreams for this intangible idea of escaping poverty, but the siblings needing her help force this unrealistic dream to be unimaginable. “Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor,” (Cisneros 9) clearly shows what the author is trying to state; Esperanza wants to dream her own future but just does not have the power to do so. Living in a home that feels like hell, Esperanza wants to escape the ropes society has placed on her and live life the way she wants to with her own unique identity.