Prejudice In The House On Mango Street

Everyone has fallen victim to a form of prejudice regardless of whether they're considered as a minority in their society. Around the world, minorities are viewed as forlorn and impotent by the upper-class who look down on them. As of 2014, about 37.9% of the United States population is deemed as a minority. However, the jobs people refer to as high paying and provide financial stability are principally being dominated by the majority groups in the United States. For example, data from the U.S census shows that 8 out of 10 lawyers are white. Why are minorities confronted with such injustice when they have the potential to become as capable as everyone else? One reason is the psychological influence an individual impresses upon themselves. Most minorities accept that exceeding the

Individuals who experience racism and classism live in a paradoxical world since, while these factors only cause an internal barrier within them, it remains their task to overcome such prejudices and to achieve their goals regardless of whether it is beyond what's expected of their capabilities.
In Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, Esperanza experiences the negative impacts of racism and classism on Mango Street, as well as how those two factors impact the way minorities perceive themselves in her society. At the beginning of the novel, when Esperanza is commencing feeling the burden of Mango Street and is contemplating escaping, she says, ”until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor”: the color of the balloon suggests that Esperanza feels isolated from the rest of society since the color red is distinctive and glaring (Cisneros 41). Furthermore, Esperanza uses the term “balloon” to express that she feels she stands out where everyone can see her which increases her vulnerability. Esperanza perceives Mango Street as an anchor in which her