The House On Mango Street By Sandra Cisneros

The importance of one’s education is often stressed throughout one’s early childhood and teenage years. The main point sometimes misses with many students, however. In The House on Mango Street, a novella by Sandra Cisneros, the main point- the beauty of education- sticks with young Esperanza all her life. The story follows this girl, a small and confused child, who lives in a very poor neighborhood. As the story progresses, Esperanza ages with the pages and is taught valuable life lessons. Both Alicia and Esperanza view education and writing as a way to a better life. Through these and other characters, Cisneros suggests that education offers a path of freedom.
Esperanza finds out at a very young age the magic of writing. Specifically, while reading to her dying aunt , the vignette “Born Bad.” While citing poetry to her aunt, without realizing it, she sets herself free with words. This is evident in her poem, where she jumps out of her skin as she writes, “One day I’ll jump out of my skin. I’ll shake the sky like a hundred violins” (Cisneros 61). This quote shows Esperanza being freed from her miserable life through writing. Even though she does

not know it yet, she has found a new, revitalizing way of living. Her aunt further promotes this idea when she says, “You must keep writing. It will keep you free” (Cisneros 61). The aunt understands that to live a long, fulfilled life, education is almost a requirement. All of this helps to guide Esperanza to become a writer and lead an educated life.The beauty of Esperanza’s and others’ writing helps her to realize that writing is a way out.
In the vignette “Mango Says Goodbye Sometime,” it is revealed that Esperanza has led a long and happy life because of the escape she found in writing. She speaks about how her world changes when she writes, and how her education saved her. This is exemplified when she says, “I put it down on the paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes” (Cisneros 110). This whole vignette is about the new life she has found through education. She speaks about how she can sometimes let go of the past. That is something she would not be able to do without writing. She has discovered freedom in this. The ghost, who represents pain and bad memories, occasionally disappears when she truly expresses herself. To conclude, Esperanza is happy only because of what she discovered at a young age- education.
Esperanza is again taught a valuable lesson about the importance of education in the vignette “Smart Cookie.” While her mom is on a ramble about her crummy life, she tells Esperanza something unforgettable.

The unforgettable line is as follows: “Esperanza, you go to school. Study hard” (Cisneros 91). She then goes on to say how she regrets not staying in school and how miserable she in now. These simple, yet powerful words stick with Esperanza. She has been told time and time again the value of education. This is when she truly realizes the escape one can have through writing. When she hears it from her mother, who has led a bad life, she realizes her true talents and finds an escape. Everything Esperanza has heard about writing and education finally come together to help her realize the alternate world she can live

in.
To summarize, Esperanza and Alicia find out the beauty of education because of the freedom it provides. Whether it is her dying aunt, her regretful mother, or Esperanza reflecting back on her life, there is always a sign to prove just how invaluable education is. She realizes this, captures the idea, and lives the life she did. Writing took her away from Mango Street, but it also takes her back. Her freedom came with a price- the price of remembering Mango.