The House On Mango Street By Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street
Through the characterization of Esperanza and Marin, Sandra Cisneros portrays how many Mexican Americans pursue the American dream in The House on Mango Street. Esperanza has very high hopes for her future. Esperanza desperately longs for a nice home she can call her own. When Mama and Papa buy lottery tickets they always say “that one day we [will] move into a real house that [will] be ours so we [will] not have to move each year. And our house [will] have running water and pipes that [work]” (Cisneros 4). The assertion that Esperanza hopes for a lot is now extremely evident. However, the fact that she hopes for a home with running water and pipes that work indicates that her

family lives in poverty.

The issue of poverty has to do with the scenario she was born into. In this situation, many Mexican Americans including those on Mango Street, have been subjected to low standards of living for so long, they have begun to think that basic necessities such as running water are luxuries. How hopeful Esperanza seems to be now clearly outlines itself in The House on Mango Street. Secondly, Esperanza also wishes a better future upon herself, as well as others in her community. Esperanza especially feels this way when she visits her father’s workplace every Sundays. When Esperanza grows up, she wants to be able to help others, and she vows that “ if passing bums […] ask, can I come in? I’ll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house” (Cisneros 87). Esperanza’s dreams for a better future are now very evident. Because of the fact that she knows how it is to be without a house, she feels it is her duty and hopes to be able to help others. This is common feeling in our society that thrives within many individuals who were raised underprivileged because they want to ensure that others do not suffer as they did. Lastly, even though Esperanza would do almost

anything to leave Mango Street, she knows that she will eventually return for the others. For example, Esperanza believes that when she leaves, friends and neighbors “will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out” (Cisneros 110). Although Esperanza’s dream is to leave Mango Street forever, she has accepted the fact that she will eventually have to come back. One can now conclude how many who lived in poverty feel when they grow older and are successful. They feel that they have a duty to return for those who helped them take steps forward, even if they are required to take a step back. In conclusion, Esperanza desperately awaits the day when she can say goodbye to Mango Street. However, she also anticipates the day when she must return to help others leave.
Marin has many hopes for the future as well. Marin aims to earn an esteemed position at a company. An example of this is when she gives Esperanza advice. Marin hopes “to get a real job downtown because that is where the best jobs are, since you always get to look beautiful and get to wear nice clothes, and can meet someone in the subway who might marry you and take you to live in a big house faraway” (Cisneros 26). Cisneros not only justifies Marin’s longing for a higher up position, but also the hope that many Mexican-Americans had for more respect that came with a revered position. At the time, Mexican Americans represented the working class backbone that America could not have striven as it did without. Because Mexican Americans were doing so much for their new nation, they felt that they deserved more respect. However, many were not granted the respect, appreciation, or attention that they really deserved. Secondly, Marin eventually abandoned attempting to change her life by herself and resorted to hoping that someone or something else would. For example, when Esperanza remembers Marin, she knows that at that very moment Marin “is singing the same song somewhere […], is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life” (Cisneros 27). Marin is clearly a very hopeful and faithful person. However, there is a part of her that knows that no-one is going to stop and change her life, but she must do it herself. Lastly, after Geraldo’s death, Marin wishes things had gone differently that night. For example, while Marin is mourning over Geraldo, she believes that he would have had a better chance “if he hadn’t lost so much blood, if the surgeon had only come, they would know who to notify and where” (Cisneros 66). This quote verifies the fact that Marin wants an overall better for Mexican-Americans. This has to do with the amount of respect and attention dedicated to Mexican-Americans at the time. Marin believes that if Mexican-Americans such as Geraldo were given more attention, the surgeon would have come sooner and better care would have been given. In conclusion, throughout the story Marin hopes that one day Mexica Americans will yield respect from their fellow Americans and that her life will change for the better.