Red House On Mango Street Essay

Throughout the book, Esperanza uses idiomatic phrases that indicate that she has acknowledged the fact that she is being stereotyped based on her economic status and ethnic background. Despite Esperanza being fully aware of her status in society she knows there is nothing she can do about it right now and makes the best of it. On page 5, Esperanza says “I know how these things go” as a comment when her parents tell her that one day they will eventually move out of Mango Street to live in a better house. Esperanza thinks her parents are being unrealistic and knows in reality that her family would never be able to afford their dream house because she is aware that her family is in poverty. Cisneros is hinting that Esperanza is starting to lose

hope in her family’s pursuit of a better life. On page 13, Esperanza uses “people like us,” referring to her ethnic background. Esperanza is aware that the society automatically characterizes and stereotypes her and her neighborhood as dangerous and indecent because she is Latino. Cisneros is showing us that the society stereotypes Esperanza not because of who she is as a person but because of her ethnicity. “We take what we can get and make the most of it.” (pg 33) Esperanza says this to show that even with all the sorrow and problems she has to endure, she tries to cope with it and embrace the good little things in life. Cisneros uses this quote to show Esperanza’s maturity in accepting the situation her family is in and addresses it in a sophisticated way.

Esperanza would describe her little red house on Mango Street as very small with tight steps in the front and with windows so small “you’d think they were holding their breath.” (pg 4) There are bricks crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in.

There is no front yard and Esperanza’s whole family has to share a bedroom and the one washroom. Although Esperanza’s house on Mango Street is small, it still has significant advantages to her previous apartments. Unlike her old apartments, her family actually owns their house on Mango Street and they don’t have to pay rent to anybody, share their yard with their neighbors, worry about the landlord, or control the amount of noise they produce. “But even so, it’s not the house we’d thought we’d get.” (pg 3) Esperanza hates her house on Mango Street and doesn’t consider it a real house. To a stranger the house might look unsuitable and unworthy for a human to live in it. Passing strangers look at it in disgust and would look down on Esperanza’s family because this house is all they can afford. In the story, a nun passes by Esperanza’s house and makes Esperanza feel ashamed for where she lives. Esperanza’s family dreams of a white house that has running water and pipes that work. A house that has a basement, at least three washrooms, and a house with real stairs inside like the houses on T.V. They dream of having a house that would have a big yard with grass growing on the sides and with trees

surrounding it. Esperanza’s parents promise her that their family will finally be able to obtain this dream house when they win the lottery, but Esperanza knows that she will not be moving out of Mango Street anytime soon. Esperanza is embarrassed that her family can not afford a better house and dreams of having a house of her own. She longs to have a real house, one that has a porch and garden similar to the ones on the hills where her father works. A house that is not rundown and is big enough to store all her belongings. She would like a house that would make her proud and not feel ashamed when a stranger walks by it. Her house would have an attic big enough to board passing bums who have no home and need a place to stay. She yearns to have a house worthy enough to invite guests over for dinner. Esperanza uses her dream of achieving a real house to motivate her to work hard so she can eventually get out of Mango Street on her own.

My family is a box of assorted chocolates. We are all so unique, different, and full of surprises. Even though we are different, we do share some similar characteristics. We all have dimples on our cheeks and crinkles around our eyes when when we smile. My dad’s and my sister’s eyes are big and round marbles that sparkle in the sun. While my mom and I have smaller eyes curved like almonds. When my dad was younger, he had dark, black, and thick hair relatively shaped like an afro. My sister inherited his dark, thick, black bushel of hair. My mom and I have thinner, lighter, and straight hair that doesn’t have much volume unlike my sister’s. My mom is super skinny, meanwhile my dad is stockier and very muscular. My sister and I actually don’t look very alike. Even though we are pretty much the same height, that’s where the similar characteristics end. We have different face shapes, different body types, and even different ways of smiling.
My sister, who is a freshman in college, and I also have completely different personalities.

Most would say that I have a bubbly personality or that I am a ray of sunshine. My sister on the other hand, at first would be described as quieter and keeps to herself. However, when you really get to know her she can talk a mile a minute and is super outgoing. My sister is as bright as a light bulb; her favorite subject is math and to her, chemistry is a piece of cake. I often find myself envying how school comes so naturally to her and sometimes I wish I could just steal her brains. When we were little we were super close. I remember we would always wake up at an absurd time on Saturday to play games or watch Disney Channel together. We were best friends and could never be separated. However, as we both got older, we started to grow distant and talked to each other less. We got in more fights and I thought she was getting meaner and that her personality was as hard as nails. I felt she was always too busy to talk to me or that she never cared about my feelings. On the contrary, my sister started to view me as a thorn in her side. She felt that I was constantly bothering her and that I was too young to understand or to be able to play with her. When she was in highschool and I was in middle school we barely saw each other due to different after school activities and different schedules. There was a time when we only talked in the car because that was the only time we saw each

other. Last year, when I was a freshman and she was a senior in highschool we would only say two words to each other the whole day, which was good morning and good night. We were both so busy, had different interest, and our own friends to hangout with. However, this summer she started tutoring me for math and chemistry and we instantly became close again. I think it was because we knew she leaving for college soon so we wanted to bond more before she left. Now that she is in college, we are still close and we text and facetime often. There are some days where I wish she could back because I miss her as the shoulder to cry on or because I just miss talking to someone who isn’t my mom or dad when we are eating dinner.
My parents are both tough as boots. No matter how hard the situation is, they always put on a strong face and overcome it. I admire my parents’ ability to keep persevering and I often try to replicate their perseverance into my school work and gymnastics. My dad is the black sheep of the family. He sometimes gets left out of our conversations because he is the only male in our family. My mom on the other hand, is always caught up with the latest news. Whenever my sister and I need advice, we always run to our mom and talk to her. My parents are both very good listeners. They are usually very nice, patient, and understanding. However, when they are mad it’s a volcano building up ready to explode. My mom usually just yells when she is mad, whereas, my dad would just stay silent but you could feel the anger radiating off him. Sometimes, I rather have him yell at me rather to have him give me the silent treatment. Luckily, my parents don’t stay mad that long. They usually get too tired to stay mad or forget about it. My parents generally are very outgoing. My dad is always cracking jokes which makes us roll on the floor laughing. He claims his jokes are “smooth like dark chocolate.” My mom doesn’t really tell that many jokes on purpose but she always makes us laugh because she’s unintentionally entertaining.
No matter what happens, I know my family will always love me. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by so many supportive, caring, and amazing people. I am extremely grateful to be around so many great role models like my family.