In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, majority of the characters have dreams. Many of the dreams that reveal in the stories are unrealistic to come to a reality, considering where they come from, their backgrounds, and the environment around them. In The House on Mango Street, the main character Esperanza struggles to find her true identity and wishes she was a grown up making her own decisions and experiencing new things. While in Raisin in the Sun, Walter thinks he has everything under control, and only does what is best for him, not what is best for his family. In both The House on Mango Street and Raisin in the Sun, the authors reveal that maturity begins when you have to make …show more content…
sacrifices and accept reality. Sandra Cisneros’ novel, The House on Mango Street, Throughout the novel we know that she is usually more mature than others her own age, but yet doesn’t realize the truth about adulthood and the real world.
She dreams about a young boy named Sire, a neighborhood boy who she always catches looking at her, and she starts to develop a small crush on him. Esperanza is told by her parents that he’s a punk and to not talk to him. “I want to sit out bad at night, a boy around my neck and the wind under my skirt. Not this way, every evening talking to the trees, leaning out my window, imagining what I can’t see” (Cisneros 73). All Esperanza wants to do is leave her little red house with boarded up windows, and move into the house of her dreams. Not only is leaving her house a desire of hers, but also growing up and finding some place better, no matter where it is. Esperanza’s desires of getting older are stronger, but she’s also becoming more independent. She’s beginning her transition into young womanhood. Her fall of innocence occurs in the chapter called ‘Red Clowns’. In this chapter, she experiences something she’s never thought of going through before. This experience teaches Esperanza that she shouldn’t believe everything she hears, and the world is nothing like it is said to be in the books and magazines. I would say Esperanza, so you emphasize what she learned. She also learns that the world is not a perfect place either, but is full of many bitter things and …show more content…
people. In Raisin in the Sun, Walter Lee is very ambitious about his dream to one day own his own business and be the kind of man he always wanted to be, one that can support his own family.
The only way for it to become a reality is if he uses the money from the insurance check from his father’s death. He’s desperate to change his life and help his own family have a better life, “This morning I was lookin’ in the mirror and thinking about it… I”m thirty-five years old; I been married eleven year and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room” (Hansberry 5). He was not happy with the life he had, he felt that he needed more to feel complete. Even though Walter had a job as a chauffeur for a rich white man, he still wasn’t satisfied enough. When Mama decides to use the ten-thousand dollars towards Beneatha’s medical school and a new house, Walter becomes extremely upset and refuses to show up to work. Eventually Mama trusts Walter with the money, which was a huge mistake. His selfishness caused his family to suffer. The news of the money disappearing deeply upsets the family and they become completely disappointed in him. Later when Mr. Lindner tries to persuade them by signing a paper to not move into the new white neighborhood, Walter does something unexpected that surprises his family, “And we have all thought about your offer.. and we have decided to move into our house because my father my father he earned it for us brick by brick” (Hansberry 45). At that moment, the Younger’s
realize what a man he has become to stand up and defend their family name, he finally took a step into manhood.Good!, I would change the wording slightly. I dont think you need the first quote, the second one already really proves your idea. The similarities between Esperanza in The House on Mango Street, and Walter Lee in Raisin in the Sun, is that they dream big on many levels, and both eventually develop morally throughout the stories. At the end of both, Esperanza and Walter finally understand many of the things that they were unable to comprehend and accept earlier, the fact that they can’t always have what they want, no matter how hard they fight for it. They both have very ambitious and passionate personalities. At points in both of the stories, they both seem to run into their own problems and find themselves trapped, “Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor” (Cisneros 9). The red balloon in this quote describes how she feels tied down and unable to accomplish many things. Walter also feels the same way after his plan doesn’t work out, he feels worthless to his family. Another example of how they are similar is how they experienced racial inequalities in different aspects of their lives, and how Esperanza and her family grew up disadvantaged, poor, and inferior, just like Walter had. In conclusion, both Cisneros and Hansberry’s coming of age stories have clear and thorough similarities to one another, and prove that you can’t always get what you want in life, no matter how unfair the situation might be. In The House on Mango Street and Raisin in the Sun, the authors reveal that maturity begins when you choose to make sacrifices and accept reality.
Mama talks to Walter about her fears of the family falling apart. This is the reason she bought the house and she wants him to understand. Walter doesn't understand and gets angry. "What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine - you - who always talking 'bout your children's dreams..." Walter is so obsessive over money that he yells at his mom for not giving him all of it. He doesn't know that what his mom is doing is for the family. He thinks that having money will make the family happy, when in reality the family doesn't need anymore than what they have to be happy.
In the book, Esperanza doesn’t want to follow the norms of the life around her; she wants to be independent. Esperanza states her independence by stating, “Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own,” (Cisneros 108.) The syntax of these sentences stick out and are not complete thoughts, yet they convey much meaning and establish Esperanza’s feeling of not belonging. Esperanza’s feeling of not belonging is also emphasized when her sisters tell her that the events of her life have made her who she is and that is something she can not get rid of. Her sisters explain that the things she has experienced made her who she is by saying, “You will always be esperanza. You will always be mango street. You can’t erase what you know” (105.) What her sisters are trying to tell her is that the past has changed her but it doesn’t have to be a negative thing; it can be used to make her a better person who is stronger and more independent. Esperanza realizes that the things around her don’t really add up to what she believes is right, which also conveys the sense of not
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
...working, caring young woman, through hardship and misfortune. This transformation shows that anyone can adjust, and that it is never too late to change your ways and become a different person. Anybody can become nicer if they try, and everyone should, just like Esperanza. By the end of the novel, she realizes how much she has changed for the better, as is shown on the last page of the book (253). “Esperanza smiled and reached over and gently pulled the yarn, unraveling the uneven stitching. Then she looked into Isabel’s trusting eyes and said, ‘Do not be afraid to start over.’” This line, the final line of the entire book, demonstrates that Esperanza realizes that she is different from the person she used to be, and has learned that it was a good transformation. She recognizes that it is a good thing to start anew, and that change should not be feared, but embraced.
Walter lives with his mother, sister, wife and child Travis. After the receival of a life insurance check from the deceased Walter Lee Senior, Mama makes a decision to give it to Walter to make him feel like the man of the house. She places endless trust into her son; she gives him the money that is needed for his sisters school, and the house payments. She has high hopes Walter would not let her down by the use of it for something that goes against her values. Unfortunately, as he receives the money one can see how hastily he works to use it for a meer liquor store as he confesses his wrongdoings: “Mama… I never went to the bank at all… It’s all gone.” (Hansberry 129). Prior to this moment, Mama had asked Walter to
The author of The House on Mango Street and the producer of The Color Purple are able to integrate numerous important thematic ideas. Many of these ideas still apply to our current world, teaching various important lessons to many adolescents and adults. The House on Mango Street is a collection of vignettes written by Sandra Cisneros, a Mexican-American writer. The novel depicts many aspects of Sandra Cisneros’ life including racism, and sexism that she and the main character face. The novel revolves around Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl, who is growing up in Chicago as she faces the various struggles of living in America. The various vignettes reveal many experiences Esperanza has with reality and her navie responses to such harsh
In this essay I will be comparing two playwrights, A Raisin in the Sun and A Doll’s House, to one another. I will also compare the two to modern time and talk about whether or not over time our society has changed any. Each of these plays has a very interesting story line based in two very different time eras. Even though there is an 80 year time gap the two share similar problems and morals, things you could even find now in the year of 2016. In the following paragraphs I will go over the power of time and what we as a society have done to make a change.
The House on Mango Street characterizes a community of girls and women restricted in their movements within the barrio. The roles of these girls and women are translated through the eyes of a child. When women in the barrio are confined, they can become a victim of abuse due to male domination. Women are confined to interior spaces in addition to their domestic roles as daughters, wives, and mothers. They live inside the barrio, but desire to escape and live outside the barrio. In addition, women can escape their restricted lifestyle by receiving an education. Esperanza, the child narrator is the only one who escapes this ethnic lifestyle (Mullen 6).
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
The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a fictional novel set in 1950’s Chicago. Centering around Esperanza’s Mexican American family and their neighbors on Mango Street, the story illustrates Esperanza’s growth and gain of experience. Throughout the story, Esperanza obtains insight on many diverse aspects of life, one being how different she is from the men and even the other women in her culture and society. She recognizes that many of the women in her life are opressed, and identifies that she craves to be different and more independent. Through the use of figurative language, Cisneros asserts that when women allow themselves to be dominated by men, they may be prevented from pursuing their aspirations.
Characteristics are what define us as human beings. When comparing and contrasting one person to another, characteristics is used to do so. Characteristics such as physical appearance or emotional perceptions help define how a person is perceived, and how we do, or do not compare in such ways. Authors use descriptions of physical characteristics to help us paint a picture in our mind of characters’ appearance from their books while, characteristics of a character’s mentality help develop a personality for us to relate to. It is important for authors to develop personality so readers can relate or understand the differences from themselves and the characters of their stories. The house on mango street is a book written by Sandra Cisneros which, is about main character Esperanza coming to age. Esperanza speaks frequently about having a house she can be proud to call her own. The house in this story represents both physical and intangible wants and needs of the main character. I cannot compare myself physically due to the difference in sex but, Esperanza and I do have similarities
When Esperanza was starting to mature, she started to like guys and cared about what she wore. Esperanza was suppose to go to a dance, but she refuses to dance because she thought her heels were ugly. Another scene that shows the theme “loss of innocence” was when Esperanza got her first job. During her job, she met a man and they started to talk about the man’s birthday and he asked for a birthday kiss. When Esperanza went to go kiss him in the face, he grabbed her face and kissed her on the mouth and doesn't let go (Cisneros 55). As the result of this, Esperanza matures emotionally because she cares about how she looks and physically because she is growing
Walter has long dreamed of making his family’s condition better, of giving them wealth that his low-paying job is unable to do. Nature appears to be against Walter and his family, for they are living in a poorly maintained tenement apartment while surrounded with racism. Walter understands this situation, so he decides to use the $10,000 check for an investment in order to exceed his primitive state. In mid-morning, he excitedly asks his family about the check’s arrival, “Check coming today?” (Hansberry I.i.868). The check is one of the few reasons that forces Walter to get up each morning, so he will eventually be able to obtain success and self pride. Walter views the check as the only solution to all of his problems, so once Mama receives it, Walter confronts her and begs for her “financial” support. Walter exemplifies his sudden, new-found confidence to Travis when Mama unexpectedly entrusts him with the remaining $6,500, “…your daddy’s gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that’s going to change our lives” (II.ii.885). Walter is finally ready to realize his dream, and he has all the possible confidence he can acquire. He foresees the significant change that awaits his family when the money is invested. Unfortunately, nature has different plans for the Youngers. Whe...
“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.
... They didn’t seem to be my feet anymore. And the garden that had been such a good place to play didn’t seem mine either” (Cisneros 98). The play place that was once so innocent and is now a junkyard that reciprocates Esperanza’s innocence that slowly turns into reality. She is growing up. Additionally, she gains enough confidence and maturity to make her own life decisions. This is shown when she makes the important decision of where she wants her life to take her. “I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain” (Cisneros 88). This shows Esperanza’s maturity to make her own life choices by herself. She is finally confident and independent enough to know where she wants her life to take her. Esperanza finally completes her evolution from young and immature to adult-like and confident.