Struggles of Adolescent Mexican Girls as Shown in "The House on Mango Street"

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros portrays the struggles adolescent Mexican girls go through. The story is about a girl named Esperanza who is trying to figure out who she is. Esperanza dreams of the ‘ideal’ home. Through Esperanza’s eyes an ideal home consists of “…house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing…” (Cisneros 4) When her family moves to a new home she is disappointed by the house she sees. The house is small and old, she descries the house as; “Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in” It was not what she thought it would be. Esperanza feels that the house somewhat reflects who she is as a person, and the house is not a perfect home. She feels ashamed by her superficial identity. In the story Esperanza goes against everything she is raised to be, she wants to be different and break her family culture. The story suggests you The story revolves around the reality that Mexican girls are raised to find a man and get married. They have a mind set about having a man in their l...

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