Esperanza's knowledge of what was a simple but depressing childhood fast forwarded in the vignette of “A Smart Cookie”. This vignette, shown towards the ending of the book explains parts of Esperanza's mother’s background. Her hardships in life and how she got to where she is today. As the two head towards the city, Esperanzas explains that “she doesn’t know which subway train to take to get downtown.” She says, “I hold her hand very tight while we wait for the right train to arrive.” (Cisneros, Page 90) The first piece of evidence shows that her mother is not familiar with the big city and subways and how to get around. A young woman going to Chicago from an usual surrounding is already frightening enough. Taking her young daughter along …show more content…
The definition of ‘family’ changes throughout the storyline from bad to good relationships within her family. One of the first beginning chapters explains how excitement was brought upon Esperanza as she notices all this things that made her different from her family. Knowing everyone is unique made her happy in this situation rather than others. She firsts views herself as too insignificant to be allowed to speak to own brother or friends; bad self esteem and negative vibes also came from the wrath she desired for her sister Nenny, the excuse for her unfortunate self that caused Esperanza to be a lonely girl with no friends. The separation was formed by lack of communication and passive aggression. Exclusion and hatred came from this triangle of siblings, no one belonged. Later in the novella, Esperanza connects with her Uncle. He forces her to change her habits of being the only one depressed while the rest of the world was spinning. Already down sided over a pair of shoes, Esperanza was drawn to the dance floor while her Uncle showed her off. Her talent had shown. Uncle Nacho brought out a different side of her that had not been experienced before. Graceful and joyous, she was applauded by an audience and her mother, a hard worker providing shelter, food, and warmth for her children. The two were proud of little Esperanza. All the attention towards her helped shape her respect for her uncle and those around her. As shown in this vignette of the support from her mother, it is also shown in one of ending vignettes, titled “A Smart Cookie”. Mrs. Cordero uses her daughters young age to teach her how the future works. A dream come true today might be trash on the road tomorrow. “Nothing turns out as it seems” was the point her mother was trying to get across. This is one of the most important vignettes in this book because it represents her
Esperanza finally comes to the conclusion that she does not need to fit into the mold of Mango Street. She also realizes that by making her own world, she can do bigger and better things and come back to help others on Mango Street. Not everybody can fit into the same mold and Esperanza made her own. . Esperanza leaving shows that she is a leader and hopefully she will have the others from Mango Street follow in her path. Maybe other people will fit into Esperanza’s mold or they will use her as an example. Esperanza used the other women as an example to make something of herself so all of the negative people she meets and has in her life, they made her the person she wanted to be.
Esperanza is a young girl who struggles with feelings of loneliness and feeling that she doesn’t fit in because she is poor. She always wanted to fit in with the other kids and feel like she was one of them. She loves to write because it helps her feel better about herself writing about her life and her community. Writing helps her with
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
Esperanza and her family move into a poor neighborhood in Chicago. “Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is swollen you have to push hard to get in. There us no front yeard, only four little elms the city planted by the curb. Our back is a small garage for the car we don’t own yet (Cisneros, 4).” The reader learns that Esperanza and her family are also from Mexico. “Look at that house, I said, it looks like Mexico. Rachel and Lucy look at me like I’m crazy, but before they can let out a laugh, Nenny says: Yes, that’s all Mexico right. That’s what I was thinking exactly (Cisneros, 18).” As an immigrant family, Esperanza’s family is struggling to make ends meet in Chicago. “I could’ve been someone someday, you know? My mother says sighs. She has lived in the city her whole life. She can speak two lanugages. She can sing an opera. She knows how to fix a T.V. But she doesn’t know which subway train to take to get downtown. I hold her hand very tight while we wait for the train to arrive (Cisneros, 90).” This is also a reference of space and time that is associated with the time period of
Esperanza's family has been moving a lot throughout her whole life. Her family consists of six; which is her Mama, Papa, Carlos, KiKi, Nenny and herself. The house on Mango Street is their new home, which is the first house they owned and didn't have to pay rent. The house had a yard they did not have to share, no landlord and no worries of the being too loud. It was a big improvement from the apartment they just moved out of, but it wasn't the dream house they had always talked about getting one day. Esperanza's parents always talked about a house they would have one day that would be all their own. The house on Mango Street was not that, it was small and rundown. Esperanza dreams of a day when she will leave this house to live in her own.
" They always told me that one day we would move into a real house, that would be ours. A house with trees, a white picket fence, real stairs and running water. The house on Mango Street isn't it. " (Cisneros, 4). This quote gives the reader a better understanding on why Esperanza is so frustrated with her poverty. Esperanza is constantly being let down because her poverty gets in the way. Her parents make all these promises to her that they cannot keep, because they do not have the money. Esperanza is still young and so far her life has been full of disappointment. When Esperanza's family moved into The House on Mango Street Esperanza's was excited, she expected to be moving into her dream house. Yet, once again her family's poverty gets in the way and they move into a shabby house. Esperanza's constant disappointment causes her a great deal of emotional pain, and all this pain leads back to her family's
In an earlier chapter, Esperanza meets with a witch, whom she hopes will tell her future only to be told, “Come back again on a Thursday when the stars are stronger” (72). However, when speaking to The Three Sisters toward the end of the story, they tell her to make a wish and say “You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street” (113). Rather than seek out her fate, the Fates (three sisters from Greek Mythology) have come seeking Esperanza. It has been confirmed that her wish to leave will come true, but remind her to remember her experiences as they have shaped who she is. In the article, “Interview with Sandra Cisneros”, Cisneros will tell her students to “make a list of the things that make you different from anyone in this room...in your community...your family...your gender (1). Cisneros uses this very idea in her writings of Esperanza: Her individuality is key- Esperanza’s identity as a writer and her background give her a unique voice that will allow her to speak up for those who have no
Esperanza begins as a very wealthy girl in Mexico, and doesn’t think about how lucky she is to have the privileges that she has. She can have almost anything she wants and has to do little work. Esperanza barely even thinks about the lower classes. They are not part of her life. But when her ranch is burned down and her father killed, she has to leave Mexico and enter the United States as an illegal immigrant. But by doing so, she is forced into contact with many people far less wealthy and well-off than her. When Esperanza enters Zacatecas to board the train, she is surprised that they are not in the fancy section. Instead, they are in a car with peasants and beggars. “Esperanza had never been so close to so many peasants before. When she went to school, all of her friends were like her. When she went to town, she was escorted and hurried around any beggars. And the peasants always kept their distance. That was simply the way it was. She couldn’t help but wonder if they would steal her things.” (p. 67). Esperanza has an obvious suspicion of the peasants during her train ride. She tells her mother that she cannot travel in this car , and that the people didn’t look trustworthy. A little bit into the trainride ...
Esperanza is relying on her childhood to help her through life she feels like “a red balloon tied to an anchor” (9,1,3) This passage describes that Esperanza singles herself out for her differences instead of her similarities and she knows it. She also sees her differences as a source of her isolating herself. She floats in the sky for all of the rest of us to see, dangling from a string. Esperanza is longing on for an escape like a balloon similar to her experiences with our society. However against the face that Cisneroz gives her a light voice, doesn't mean that it's not just as strong and
At first, Esperanza is young, insecure, and immature. Her immaturity is apparent when she talks about her mom holding her, saying it is, “sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you and you feel safe” (Cisneros 6-7). This shows Esperanza’s insecurity because her mom is still a big comfort source to her. She feels a false sense of comfort because her mom is there and will protect her. In addition, Esperanza’s immaturity is shown through her dislike for outsiders of the neighborhood when she says, “They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake” (Cisneros 28). This indicates how defensive and protective Esperanza is towards her barrio by calling outsiders stupid for reacting the way they do, even though she dislikes Mango Street....
This is one of the most important chapters because this is where Esperanza shows that she is growing up from a girl to a woman. Esperanza says that someday she “wants to be all new and shiny.” She says that she wants to sit out bad and have a boy hanging all over her. I find this interesting because I’m sure that everyone goes through something like this where we want to be rebellious and defy our parents. These are just some of the signs that Esperanza does not want to accept what her parents say is law, and she wants to try out some things of her own. For example, in the beginning of the chapter, Esperanza does not say that Sire is a punk, her father does. With children, this is not a good way to be. This just makes Sire seem exciting and sparks Esperanza’s interest to be around him.
Esperanza, a Chicano with three sisters and one brother, has had a dream of having her own things since she was ten years old. She lived in a one story flat that Esperanza thought was finally a "real house". Esperanza’s family was poor. Her father barely made enough money to make ends meet. Her mother, a homemaker, had no formal education because she had lacked the courage to rise above the shame of her poverty, and her escape was to quit school. Esperanza felt that she had the desire and courage to invent what she would become.
Many are confined in a marriage in which they are unhappy with, and are reductant to make a change. Some are committed to make a change for themselves. Esperanza ponders each one of these women's lives. Through each role model Esperanza gains crucial life lessons on how to overcome different life hardships. Through some women like her great-grandmother and Ruthie, Esperanza learns she must take control her fate, to avoid marrying young, and not let a male figure dictate her future. Other women like Alicia, Esperanza learns to keep pursuing goals in life and to take control of her destiny no matter what obstruction may lay ahead. From Esperanza’s role models, the moral lesson that can be taken away is to be proactive about your life and to shape your own future. Everyone is a role model to somebody in their life. Strive to leave a positive message behind for the ones shadowing in your
Esperanza is constantly influenced by the women in her own family including her mother, sister and other various family members. Even early in the novel Esperanza recognizes that the boys hold more powers than the girl. She states “The boys and the girls live in different worlds” and how once outside of the house her brothers will not talk to the girls (10). Her brothers recognize that if the other boys in the neighborhood see them with their sisters, they will be mocked. This signals that Esperanza has internalized that the men hold more power even from an early age and her male siblings hold mor...
Esperanza illustrates that she is a bad role model through her actions and words. She is afraid of white communities and of her future. Whenever she looks at things she cannot have or people mock her lifestyle, she feels ashamed. Her inconsistency in decisions also makes her a bad role model. The immigrant from Mexico appears shy and terrified because inside she truly has reasons to feel that way. Esperanza must learn to overcome her fears, past prejudices, and low expectations to become successful in all aspects of her life. Only then, will she become a positive role model.