The American Dream in The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

1509 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Easy of the american dream

The American Dream, yes everybody has one, it can be from living in a large house and having a million dollars to just having the privilege to live in America and try to make something better for themselves in this new life or new start they are trying to grasp. There are many traditions and dreams of every American today while some dreams are practical and some are not and most of all their dreams are from the heart. The American dream is really simple--it consists of a house a job a car three kids and one dog but this is not always the case.

The American Dream can be lived by anyone who tries to make due with what they can afford at the time they are in and the situation that’s upon them. The American Dream is built into everybody who has ever wanted better for themselves and family members. It is not being selfish just wishing to have all the worries of the hustle and bustle of life go away that would be so nice; everybody innately wants to achieve that because why would you want to spend most of your life worrying about money and security?

Today in society, people have different perspectives on what is the American dream because we as Americans are all not the same because we all see things differently than what another person sees. Some families with tons of money could be living a horrible life, always fighting with each other and never happy while a not so rich family could just be happy and make due with what they have as long as they stick together; maybe the dream for some people is more realistic than the dream for other people who may have more opportunities. This could be their dream. The House on Mango Street presents good aspects of the American Dream and offers insights on the extension of the American Dream they are living; wanting more than they can achieve with in their means and desires that one must uphold to keep a family together peacefully. The House on Mango Street presents a family that lives right below the American Dream (kind of like an extension of it); they have a house, beautiful family that loves each other, mother and father who are together and love each other and their children the same, but because they still do not have the financial security one must obtain to freely pursue that dream, it just would not be a typi...

... middle of paper ...

...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.

The American dream can be realized by anyone who puts their mind to it. Some people shoot for what they can afford and some turn for the stars. The House On Mango Street really gives people a good example of how a poor American family can achieve the American Dream. Esperanza and her family proves that anyone with a strong will and a lot of hope can make a worthwhile struggle for what they need to get ever closer to the fulfilling and completing their extension of the American Dream so maybe, it would not be an extension anymore. So they do achieve their own version while Esperanza must now go off and achieve hers.

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. London: Bloomsbury, 2004. Print.

Show More
Related

  • House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    Esperanza finally comes to the conclusion that she does not need to fit into the mold of Mango Street. She also realizes that by making her own world, she can do bigger and better things and come back to help others on Mango Street. Not everybody can fit into the same mold and Esperanza made her own. . Esperanza leaving shows that she is a leader and hopefully she will have the others from Mango Street follow in her path. Maybe other people will fit into Esperanza’s mold or they will use her as an example. Esperanza used the other women as an example to make something of herself so all of the negative people she meets and has in her life, they made her the person she wanted to be.

    Read More

  • The House On Mango Street By Sandra Cisneros

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • American Dream Sacrifice

    1802 Words  | 4 Pages

    Firstly, the American Dream is only achievable to those who make the sacrifices and have what it takes to achieve the American Dream. In “Europe and America” by, David Ignatow he explains that his father had to make a lot of sacrifices for him to become successful. In lines 7-9 he

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The House On Mango Street

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Esperanza was a cowardly child who transformed into a brave woman. Alicia and Esperanza had a conversation about Mango Street and Alicia says, “Like it or not you are Mango Street, and one day you’ll come back too,” (Cisneros 107). Esperanza replies with, “Not me. Not until somebody makes it better,” (Cisneros 107). Alicia tells Esperanza that even though she does not like Mango Street, she will still come back, but Esperanza says she will not until someone makes it better. Esperanza does not want to go back to Mango Street even though she is a part of it. Esperanza wants to leave Mango Street for good. Although Esperanza knows she is a part of Mango Street, she does not want to be. The ignorant child believed she could leave Mango behind and forget about where she came from, but little does she know that someone will. When Esperanza decides to leave Mango Street, she says, “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out,” (Cisneros 110). Esperanza will leave Mango Street to come back and help those who cannot escape. Esperanza is leaving not for herself, but for others. She grasped the understanding that nobody would do anything to help Mango Street, or care about what happens to it, and decides to take matters into her own hands. Esperanza realizes that she has to be the one to change Mango Street. Throughout the story

    Read More

  • House On Mango Street Obstacles

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever tried reaching a dream but had some trouble achieving it? When trying to achieve the American Dream, you have some challenges you will face. The House on Mango Street is the story of a girl named Esperanza, who lives in a poor area of Chicago and encounters some obstacles when trying to achieve her dream. Her family and her neighbors all have one thing in common. They all are trying to reach the American Dream but are facing some troubles. When trying to achieve your dream, what challenges can you face? Three obstacles you can face when trying to reach the American Dream are having financial issues, not having a proper education, and moving into the United States.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The American Hookup Culture

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    As stated in the book, “college students have much to teach about sex” (8). That is because the values, ideologies, and worldviews of the students are representative of greater American culture. Although flawed, hookup culture on American campuses hold the possibility of accepting a culture of inclusivity, care, pleasure, and freedom while also rejecting predatory behavior, racism, classism, and abuse. Dismissing hookup culture all together is blind to the reality that young adults are going to have sex, and since sex is non-negotiable, one’s aim should be to foster open dialogue and critical thought onto a future where everyone enjoys the ability to freely explore sexuality, sex, and gender on their own

    Read More

  • This That And The American Dream Summary

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the article the author supplies us with many examples of what the American dream is. Although people think that they have a different dream for everyone else it actually

    Read More

  • Alcohol Case Study

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most likely, yes. Brady did knowingly allow minors to consume alcohol on her real property. A homeowner may be responsible for knowingly allowing minors to consume alcohol if the homeowner hosted the party, controlled the real property, was present for the entire party where a majority of minors were drinking and had been in the vicinity of the minors consuming alcohol. Based on the evidence, there is a high degree of probability that Brady knowingly allowed minors to consume alcohol.

    Read More

  • The Role of Religion in Roman Society

    3524 Words  | 8 Pages

    The religious practices of the ancient Romans are best remembered with grand temples, great festivals and Christian persecution to the final acceptance of Christianity within the Roman empire over the traditional pagan religions. The Roman religious practices can be divided into three phases which span from the founding of the city to the fall of the empire.

    Read More

  • Personal Essay: The American Dream

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream can be a motivational fire, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, one must focus on building a balanced life for themselves, participate in honest work and practice their craft to have marketable skills that just stick out from the competition. People work their whole lives making money so they can satisfy their desires. The idea of being able to purchase the items people have always dreamed of is an achievement in itself. Having a great family, owning a home and having beautiful things to fill it with is a common dream amongst people. Many people take pride in what they possess.

    Read More

  • What a Home Really is in The House on Mango Street

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although Esperanza is constantly reaffirming that she wants to move away from Mango Street, we know by the end novel that she will one day return to help those who will not have the opportunities Esperanza has had in her life. Indeed, in the closing pages Esperanza admits that she cannot escape Mango Street. She can never again call it home, but it has influenced her dreams, formed her personality, and she has learned valuable life lessons from its inhabitants. That is why, explains Esperanza, she tells stories about the house on Mango Street, revealing the beauty amidst dirty streets and unveiling her true inner self, the peace of knowing that her “home is where her heart is.”

    Read More

  • The Influence Of The American Dream

    2198 Words  | 5 Pages

    When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It

    Read More

  • The American Dream In J. D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States. The American dream could be anything; it could be reaching financial success, receiving an American passport, gaining freedom, or attainment of rights. Every American has a dream, and that dream is the American dream. Throughout recent years an American dream has become a widely popular central theme in American Literature and is presented in novels such as The Great Gatsby, Death of a Salesman, and A Raisin in the Sun.

    Read More

  • Hook Up Culture

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate women attending North Carolina Central University and Duke University. With the survey being sent out to every female undergraduate with a university registered email on each campus, 2,200 completed responses were received. Due to the nature of “Hook-Up Culture”, single women became the focus of the study and from the sample 1,800, single students were self-identified. The exclusion of 400 students was due to subjects not answering items, a concrete relation status or survey answers that conflicted (e.g. inconsistencies in participants’ reports of sex partners in different questions). Participants were diverse with many participants identifying as White (46.5%), Black (39.3%), Asian (4.6%), Latinx (3.9%) or non-reported (5.7%). Their mean age was 20.7 years (SD = 1.9)

    Read More

  • Dating Culture Essay

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Hookup Culture on College Campuses: Centering College Women, Communication Barriers, and Negative Outcomes”, Laura Klinger reviews the nature of dating culture in college and expresses the challenges, especially communication, that inflict negative consequences on students. Klinger explains a study of 25 undergraduate students were 4 main themes emerged from, explaining why clear communication is challenging. One of the themes was “...relational talk was feared to be potentially stigmatizing and a means of losing power within the relationship...”. Expressing clear and straightforward communication creates vulnerability, resulting in losing any “power” in the relationship. Relationships are not games you are trying to win. There is nothing to win, just a whole lot to lose. This is a major problem in the modern dating culture. (Klinger, “Hookup Culture on College

    Read More

More about The American Dream in The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Open Document