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In The House of Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and Ernest j. Gaines’s collection of five short stories, Bloodline the authors tackle many themes such as poverty, familial instability, racism, identity, gender, woman and femininity but they emphasize responsibility and manhood that can be considered as two of the mean themes in their novels. Although Sandra Cisneros, and Ernest J Gaines depict these two aspects in two different contexts, there are many similarities in both novels in which the themes of Manhood and Responsibility are largely addressed. That is to say, Gaines and Cisneros have both presented these themes in different environments, communities, periods and realities but they common purpose is to pull throughout these situations …show more content…
the complexities of the sense of responsibility and the degree of maturity which we can say in a way a call into question about color people’s manhood in America. Also, in this two stories the notions such as “Responsibility” and “Manhood” are each of them particular problems and complexities in which the authors try to invite to a wide discussion that can result in a better understanding, and these themes are also interacting throughout the books. Ernest j Gaines and Sandra Cisneros’s life are marked by the pursuit of the sense of responsibility, the quest of a place or a statute and identity worthy of real American which is not obvious according to Ernest J Gaines in an environment dominated in all aspects by the whites and for Sandra Cisneros this quest requires to struggle against the hostile circumstances and to restore women’s dignity in the Mexican-American community where there are always suffering from men’s domination Additionally, in Bloodline, Gaines’s first purpose is to show the effects of the racism and the discrimination on the black men who feel the need to integrate a society and quest for their manhood, and this cannot be done without facing white men’s segregation with a great responsibility which is a real challenge for them. Manhood is the main problem in Ernest j Gaines’s works comprising Bloodline. Mostly the male character in his collection are claiming themselves as men and according to Gaines this Manhood has another meaning than showing masculine characters. In addition, Ernest J Gaines collection of five short stories is inspired by the plantation of Louisiana where he was born and grow up. At the age of eight, he works on the plantation, earning fifty cents a day and at the same time attending rural school. Throughout Gaines’s childhood, we can say that the little James’s responsibility in the short story The Sky is Gray is a reflection of his real life. Being the oldest of twelve children, raised by his great aunt Augusteen Jefferson who provided inspiration for many of his female characters and the separation of his parents can be taken as one of a reason which makes him interested to responsibility that he shows throughout his childhood protagonist who serve him as a pretext to show how difficult his life was. Similarly , According to Sandra Cisneros these attitudes of responsibility undertaken by his protagonist Esperanza are inspired by her own experiences she underwent during her childhood, and her experiences are acquired thank to the many displacements she did with her family, that is why she places Esperanza Cordero in the form of mirror to reflect her own childhood’s experiences.
In other words The House on Mango Street can be considered as an autobiographical, that is to say she may be her book’s protagonist Esperanza Cordero. then At the first sight of the title of Sandra Cisneros’s book, the word “House” might seem to be something that Cisneros gives a great importance, because throughout the books, the major responsibility of her displaced protagonist is a quest of a house similarly to her who feels displaced and homeless because of the frequent displacement she made from the United States and Mexico to visit her father’s parents, consequently the use of the theme responsibility by Sandra Cisneros takes back in away its origins from this …show more content…
situation. Furthermore, Ernest j Gaines serves two years in the United States army, and this commitment can be seen as a pursuit of black manhood who is always discriminated by serving in important place in order to fulfil citizen ‘duty next to the white men.
Throughout Gaines’s commitment in army we can say also that it is a kind of searching black masculinity and dignity or black manhood in a world filled with white racism and discrimination, so that his quest for black dignity is mostly shown throughout his characters. Despite that he is always criticized by the black writers who consider that his works does not portray the life of the black men, that is why Ernest j Gaines once say that “The major conflict in my work is when the black male attempts to go beyond the line that is drawn for
him”. Alternatively, manhood is something remarkable in the community of Sandra Cisneros in which she grows up, her society is marked by men’s domination over women and women are treated in such a way they have not any importance. So that, aware of that situation, Sandra Cisneros takes refuse to the writing in order to scape her fellow’s fate, and throughout her writing she might be the spokesperson of the women. Unlike to the other women’s situation who are always spending their times at homework and manipulated by men, Sandra Cisneros’s mother would rather her daughter focuses on improving her intellect and the writing, as a result this activity allows her to tackle and denounce “manhood” And this situation is similar to one of her protagonist Esperanza Cordero who is urged by her aunt to write. And, the problem of responsibility which is largely tackled by Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street takes his originated from those taken by her in her real life, because after she was awarded the M.F.A degree after admitted to the writer’s workshop at the university of Lowa, she takes the responsibility to get rid of the style of writing of her schoolmates. She decides to write about her neighborhood in which she spends her childhood, using her own characters who portrayed her neighbors instead of using her classmates’ subject, their setting, in other words, the realities which reflect their own experience. Obviously, we can say that, The House on Mango Street begins according to the breaking of the inadequate subject that Sandra Cisneros imitated from her classmates, and her recognition of her difference from her classmates. Therefore it is clear that the theme responsibility in The House on Mango Street is not present randomly, it is chosen by Cisneros just to emphasize those which marked both her professional pursuit and her daily life. After all, at first, the first chapter is going to deal with the responsibility attitude in which it analyzes the responsibility of the young protagonist and the responsibility generated by circumstances. Then, the second chapter is going to focus on the complexity of manhood where it debates not only on when manhood can be taken as maturity and consciousness but also its aspect of adult age. Finally the last chapter’s purpose is to identify the link between responsibility and manhood which requires first to analyze their contradiction and then when manhood can be considered as the way of assuming responsibility according to Sandra Cisneros and Ernest J Gaines
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, the main character of The House on Mango Street, a novella written by Sandra Cisneros in 1984, has always felt like she didn’t belong. Esperanza sought a different life than the ones that people around her were living. She wanted to be in control of her life, and not be taken away by men as so many others around her had. Esperanza wanted to move away from Mango Street and find the house, and life she had always looked for. Through the use of repetition, Sandra Cisneros conveys a sense of not belonging, that can make a person strong enough to aspire to a better life.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is about a girl who struggles finding her true self. Esperanza sees the typical figures like Sally and Rafaela. There is also her neighbor Marin shows the “true” identity for women on Mango Street. She also sees her mother is and is not like that at the same time. The main struggle that Esperanza has is with beauty. This explains why most of the negative people that Esperanza meets on Mango Street, and her gender, helped her see the mold she needed to fill in order to give herself an identity.
“The House on Mango Street” emphasizes on this issue, even broadens to explain other controversial matters such as abuse, misogynistic views, and stereotypes. The protagonist, Esperanza Cordero moves to Mango Street where she must witness the abuse affecting her friends, neighbors, and family. Either Sally a close friend, Mamacita a neighbor, or her own mother handling 4 children. Over the course of the novel Esperanza changes physically and mentally. Through the use of imagery as well as complex, descriptive vignettes Cisneros epitomizes the misogynistic views within Esperanza’s
Gabriela Quintanilla Mrs. Allen A.P English 12 12 March 2014 The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros once said “'Hispanic' is English for a person of Latino origin who wants to be accepted by the white status quo. ’ Latino' is the word we have always used for ourselves.” In the novel I read, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, the main character, a twelve-year-old Chicana (Mexican-American girl), Esperanza, saw self-definition as a struggle, this was a major theme in the novel through Esperanza’s actions and the ones around her. Esperanza tries to find identity in herself as a woman as well as an artist throughout the novel through her encounters.
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 The House on Mango Street, Cisneroz agitates the theme of diversity through her use of characters and setting. Cisneroz paints a multitude of events that follow a young girl named Esperanza growing up in the diverse section of Chicago. She is dealing with searching for a release from the low expectations that the Latino communities often put women whether young or old are put against. Cisneroz often draws from her life growing up that she was able to base Esperanza's life experiences on and portray an accurate view on Latino societies today. Cisneroz used the chapter “Boys and Girls” and “Beautiful and cruel” to portray Esperanzas growth from a young curious girl to a wise woman. She came into her own personal awareness and her actions that she has to now be held accountable for.
Sandra Cisneros's writing style in the novel The House on Mango Street transcends two genres, poetry and the short story. The novel is written in a series of poetic vignettes that make it easy to read. These distinguishing attributes are combined to create the backbone of Cisneros's unique style and structure.
Cisneros depicts Mango Street as a rough neighborhood, but she also conveys a sense of community. She writes down that “we are safe,” (Cisneros, 28) to indicate that she can find the sense of community. Even if the author does not think she belongs to Mango Street, she does not deny that her community lives there. At the beginning of The House on Mango Street, Cisneros states that “I had to have a house. A real house,” (Cisneros, 5) illustrating that after knowing the American society’s evaluation criteria of success, she wants to follow the upward mobility and be viewed as a successful figure not only because she wants to be appreciated but also because white people will change their stereotypes of Hispanic people if they see that a Hispanic woman can be as successful as other whites. Her ambition triggers her to want to explore the meaning of being a Hispanic girl in the real world. Furthermore, in the “My name” session, the author depicts her great-grandmother’s life. “She looked out the window her whole life… but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window.” (Cisneros, 11) Cisneros wants a marriage formed because of love, like most white people do; her desire indicates that she wants to live like the whites, so that they will respect her and the Hispanic race later. In addition, Cisneros points out that she
“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.
Sandra Cisneros' strong cultural values greatly influence The House on Mango Street. Esperanza's life is the medium that Cisneros uses to bring the Latin community to her audience. The novel deals with the Catholic Church and its position in the Latin community. The deep family connection within the barrio also plays an important role in the novel. Esperanza's struggle to become a part of the world outside of Mango Street represents the desire many Chicanos have to grow beyond their neighborhoods.
In class we read the book House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the main character Esperanza lives in a lower working class neighborhood and street called Mango Street dealing with poverty. Her house is an important symbol in House on Mango Street. It represents Eperanza’s process of maturing as a person and the change in her perspective of poverty and struggle being shameful, to it being something to embrace and use as motivation. This is a very important part of the story because it is in many aspects where we are from that make us who we become. This is interesting to see in the book as her opinions and perspective of things inside and outside of her neighborhood are shaped by her experiences.
Society set a standard many years ago that in a relationship, the woman depends on the man. In The House on Mango Street, woman tend to trust and not have power in relationships. Sandra Cisneros develops the theme that women are inferior to men. This is based on men’s view on power and women accepting their role through the motif of gender roles throughout the novella The House on Mango Street.
The House on Mango Street is a novel composed of connected vignettes. The novel is told through the eyes of Esperanza, the main heroine. Throughout the novel Esperanza expresses her desire to leave Mango Street for a better, wealthier, and happier life. Esperanza makes many references to her feelings about her family's poverty; in multiple vignettes Esperanza expresses her sadness,resentfulness, and disappointment of her poverty