Thomas Jefferson once said,“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” This quote can be taken much deeper, with the understanding that the past is just that, history. Of course history still affects the future today, but people focus more on moving forward rather than dwelling on the past. In Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street” the author illustrates the idea, using her family members’ past, other residents of Mango Street, and Esperanza discovering who she is, that while the past can make up parts of a person, it does not have to be their whole identity. Instead it can be a way in which the person can develop in the future.
Within Esperanza’s family, members often repeat the pattern of falling short
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from success, never making it out on their own and being able to support themselves. A constant reminder of this lifestyle lays in Esperanza’s name, as it is shared between her, and her great grandmother. In the HOMS, the grandmother is described as a wild horse of a woman, until she gets married and loses her freedom. Esperanza notes,” I have inherited her name but I will not inherit her place in the window,”(11). Here she refers to all the lonesome time her grandmother spent locked up in her house once married. By Esperanza stating such , she makes it clear that she does not want to live being tied down by a man, because after her grandmother married, it became her whole life and she lost her past of being free, showing that the past does not make up a person fully, but affect their future. Another example of what may happen if she does not become independent lives under the same roof, being her mother. Mama reveals as a child, she was quite intelligent, but stopped putting in effort due to being so self conscious about her social status, with the weight of being poor. While cooking dinner she warns Esperanza,”Shame is a bad thing, you know? It keeps you down,”(91). At that point it is explained to Esperanza that shame led her mother to stop working hard because the shame made her feel insecure, giving her no motivation to pursue her future. It was clear, if her mother had continued to put in work as a child, their life would look much different, despite Mama’s past, because the past didn’t have to be her destiny. Through Esperanza’s family members and her own experiences living on Mango , she is able to see a bizarre pattern of falling short, which most likely set a flame for her to escape the cycle. Later down the line, Esperanza begins to dream more and more of leaving Mango Street, hoping to move on from this distasteful chapter of her life.
Although she may not have been able to understand what it meant to do such, her neighbors around her are able to help her find her way. For instance, Elenita, “the witch woman”, presents Esperanza of what she may be in search of in the future, by reading her palms. She finishes the procedure by sharing,“I see a home in the heart” (64). At the time Esperanza most likely did not understand how these words and her future were connected, however, she is able to take those words and acknowledge that her house on Mango Street is not enough to satisfy her needs for a home. From this Esperanza begins to realize there is more out there in life than her current house. Not long after Esperanza’s palm reading, she attends a neighbor’s funeral, where she meets three peculiar ladies. As soon as they begin interacting, it's clear they know much about Esperanza, perhaps more than she knows about herself. After commenting on how special Esperanza is and how she will go far, one of three calls Esperanza away from the group, reminding her,“When you leave, you must remember to come back for the others… You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can't erase what you know. You can't forget who you are,”(105). From this point on, Esperanza is fully aware that she has the power to leave Mango one day, but the small talk with the …show more content…
three sisters also gives her the responsibility of remembering who she is, which represents the idea that the past does in fact make up a portion of who someone is, but it also develops their future self. In this case Esperanza is told her childhood must be remembered, but she is still going to go far in the future. From these encounters, through Esperanza’s strange yet unique neighbors, she begins more and more to understand Mango Street is only part of her life. Throughout the book, Esperanza learns that she has the power to break away from Mango Street, for it has made her stronger , growing up in such a harsh environment.
Even early on she is able to see herself through everyday objects and situations. For instance, outside her window are 4 thin trees, which are described,“ Their strength is a secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground,”(74). Even though this vignette is early on, Esperanza at the moment finds reflections of herself , like the trees, which help her understand who she is. In this case she sees herself as a very strong person , however like the trees, not everyone is aware of the strength she holds. This shows that Esperanza has grown up and developed into a strong girl, from living on Mango Street, which carry her through her future, which will be important as she breaks away from Mango Street. Further down the line , as Esperanza concludes her thoughts of her childhood she says,“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,”(110). There she realizes she is capable of taking a hold of her future and not letting her rough past control what is to come. She sees that she can hold onto her past, but her past can't hold onto her. In other words she gets that her past will always be part of her, but she is too strong for it to make her up as a person fully. Breaking free from Mango Street will be the next chapter of Esperanza’s
life. Throughout the story, Esperanza is shown by her family what will happen if she does not be independent. In this case for her, that means breaking out and leaving Mango Street. Then, with the help of other residents, the idea of moving on from her childhood is presented in different forms, yet all share a common theme that she will be the one who is able and will leave. Even Esperanza discovering her strength, and who she is, leads to her understanding why it means when she will one day break free from the struggles she is faced with living on Mango Street. All of the pain and struggle Esperanza is faced with all leads back to the point that no matter what past somebody has, it does not have make up who they will become; it can develop them into their future self.
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.
The House on Mango Street, a fictional book written by Sandra Cisneros is a book filled with many hidden messages. The book revolves around a young girl named Esperanza who feels out of place with the life she has. She sees that the things around her don’t really add up. The story is told from Esperanza’s perspective and the events she goes through to find herself. Through the strategy of fragmenting sentences, Cisneros establishes that the sense of not belonging, creates a person’s individuality that makes them who they are.
Esperanza is the heart and soul of this story. She changes and develops new habits over the course of the book. Because of how the book is written, she’s also the main character who gives the story it’s unity. Everything in the story is told in her perspective anyway so she could be the narrator and the protagonist. Even the stories about other characters have some sort of connection with Esperanza. She is The House On Mango Street, she is Esperanza.
Modern society believes in the difficult yet essential nature of coming of age. Adolescents must face difficult obstacles in life, whether it be familial, academic, or fiscal obstacles. In the House on Mango Street, Esperanza longs for a life where she will no longer be chained to Mango Street and aspires to escape. As Esperanza grows up on Mango Street, she witnesses the effect of poverty, violence, and loss of dreams on her friends and family, leading her to feel confused and broken, clinging to the dream of leaving Mango Street. Cisneros uses a reflective tone to argue that a change in one’s identity is inevitable, but ultimately for the worst.
To begin, Esperanza first realizes how trapped she is in Mango Street in one of
In the poor slums of Chicago, a family living in poverty struggles to get by. In the book, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza is a twelve year old girl who lives with her family in the Windy City. She lives with her three siblings and both parents on Mango Street. Esperanza has no control over her life and family’s poverty. People who have no control over their life desperately seek change. Esperanza seeks to change her name, her home, and her destiny as a way to control her life.
Esperanza was able to provide the audience with an image that was vivid of her surroundings through her diction and tone. Esperanza presents a series of stories that she deals with in her neighborhood as she grows up. Esperanza arose from poverty and always dreamt of having a house of her own. Sandra Cisneros' strong cultural and gender values have a tremendous influence on The House on Mango Street. Cisneros feels that the Mexican-American community is very abusive towards the treatment of women because men are seen as the powerful, strong figure.
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
Esperanza builds her strength off the mishaps that occur while living on Mango Street. In the vignettes, Esperanza describes some very interesting things that take place on Mango Street. She recalls a time when Sally befriended her and told Esperanza to leave her alone with the boys. Esperanza felt out of place and was very uncomfortable and very ashamed to be in that situation. She wanted more from life than that, so she left the scene.
In the short story “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, make Esperanza the main character. Esperanza expresses herself in traditional words, her own feelings about life. The image of the The House on Mango Street is located in a poor neighborhood, where this young girl and her family present emotions becoming into a hope of a better life. These feelings led Esperanza convert the idea to own a beautiful house into an obsession. The image of Esperanza and her House becomes a symbol of different ideas such as shame, fantasy, independence, confidence and hope.
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.
“Someday, I will have a best friend all my own. One I can tell my secrets to. One who will understand my jokes without me having to explain them” (9). These are the longing words spoken by Esperanza. In the novel The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is young girl experiencing adolescence not only longing for a place to fit in but also wanting to be beautiful. This becomes complicated as Esperanza becomes more sexually aware. Throughout the novel, Cisneros argues the importance of beauty and how Esperanza deals with beauty as a part of her identity. When Esperanza meets Sally a new friend, Esperanza’s whole world is turned upside down. Esperanza’s views on beauty change from a positive outlook to a negative one by watching how beauty has damaged Sally’s life.
...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.
“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.
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....