House On Mango Street Figurative Language

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.
When women allow themselves to be controlled by

males, their personal freedoms are limited, as conveyed through figurative language.

Esperanza ponders how she inherited her grandmother’s name, but does not wish to inherit her experiences with marriage. When speaking of how her grandmother was married, Esperanza remarks, “my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. Just like that, as if she were a fancy chandelier” (Cisneros, 11). Through a simile, Cisneros exemplifies that women allow themselves to be objectified and trapped, which removes their freedom and hinders their progress towards their dreams. This is also identified when Alicia’s father finds her studying late at night and speaks with her about her duties as the woman of the house. Alicia’s father alludes to her that, “a woman’s place is sleeping so she can wake up early with the tortilla star” (31). Through this metaphor, Cisneros indicates that in Hispanic culture, women let themselves be pressured into putting duties at home

above their own personal goals. A similar example is Sally, who married early to escape a controlling, abusive father. Sally thought she was free from male control after leaving her father, but now “she sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission.. She likes looking at the walls, at how neatly their corners meet, the linoleum roses on the floor, the ceiling smooth as wedding cake” (102) Through this simile, it is shown that although Sally escaped the control of her father, she now finds herself trapped by her husband, doomed to wander her house alone as she is not allowed to leave. Ultimately, women falling under the controlling effects of male dominance causes them to lose their freedoms.
Figurative Language is utilized powerfully by Cisneros to convey that male dominated women are trapped and freedomless. Women such as Esperanza’s Grandmother, Alicia, and Sally well exemplify that allowance of male control causes confinement and loss of personal liberties. Like birds in a cage, many of the women in The House on Mango Street find themselves unable to fly due to their husbands, fathers, and the oppressing male dominated society that women in the real world still struggle to live in today.