The House On Mango Street Analysis

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Tradition in House On Mango Street

In The House On Mango Street Sandra Cisneros uses diction to illustrate how Mexican-American women are forced to live traditional lives. Esperanza describes how Alice’s father says“a woman's place is sleeping so she can wake up with the tortilla star” (31). Cisneros’s usage of phrases like “a woman’s place.” and “wake up with the tortilla star.” is very powerful because it shows that most Mexican-American women are the ones that are supposed to cook and do housework. Alice; nevertheless goes to university and comes home to fulfill what tradition demands from women.
Esperanza goes on to speak about Elenita: a mother, wife, and another woman forced into the shackles of tradition. Esperanza hears Elenita say

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