Naveed Abubacker
Mrs. Tziarri
English II
13 January 2016
Coming of Age on Mango Street
Innocence is the freedom from sin or moral wrong. It’s a trait that all people are born with. As children get older they begin to experience the struggles and realities of adult life. These experiences slowly removes their innocence as they grow into adulthood. This loss of innocence or coming of age is a key theme in Sandra Cisneros's novel The House on Mango Street. Esperanza Cordero begins the novel as a child that has not experienced the horrors of life. As she endures the horrific events of life, she comes of age in a short span. She is young girl growing up in a rundown Latino dominated neighborhood. Esperanza does not want to belong, not to her
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rundown neighborhood and not to the low expectations the world has for her. This book is definitely dedicated to the women of society. Esperanza in the beginning of the book, is very innocent. She believes that all traits in people are good, she does not know the dark side of people. As Esperanza ages, she is taken advantage of by many men and her innocence starts to diminish. When she is taken advantage of, and she does not enjoy this feeling unlike the other characters in the book like Sally. Esperanza is starting to recognize that not everyone is a good person. Towards the end of the book, she has experienced traumatic events and wants to change into a better person. She is becoming mature and taking more responsibility in her life. Esperanza’s exposure to the adult world leads to her coming of age. Esperanza changes drastically during the course of the book, but in the beginning she is very innocent.
She does not know that there is bad in people, when she was young she believed that everyone had all good in them and no bad but she was wrong. Esperanza describes her mother’s “sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you… is the warm smell of bread before you bake it (Cisneros 6). Esperanza is trying to grow up and she figures out why Sally is so sad which shows she is starting to mature. She starts to come of age and starts to question the bad in the world. Her maturity level is raising from the beginning of the book showing her innocence is rising in a short time. This proves her innocence and love for her mother. Her relationship with her mother is just like her relationship with everyone else because she is innocent and she believes that everyone is a good person. Esperanza is so innocent that when she followed Marin “we ran down the block to where the cop car’s siren spun a dizzy blue” (25). Esperanza is so innocent she does not know what is happening to Louie’s cousin. It is shocking for her to witness someone crashing their car and the cops coming to take them away. She is starting to realize the bad in this world and begins to come of age. She has never seen something this dramatic, when she witnessed the event she did not think anything of it because she did not think it was a bad thing. She did not know why he was getting arrested, she did not realize …show more content…
that he was a criminal. Through all these experiences Esperanza is starting to come of age and lose her innocence. Esperanza has been taken advantage of by many men and has lost all of her innocence. Esperanza is raped by many men and did not enjoy it unlike other girls who have had sex at a young age like Sally. Sally told Esperanza that having sex is great but when Esperanza experienced it for herself she was mad because she did not enjoy it and Sally lied to her about it. She wants to grow up and achieve her life goals. Esperanza wants an education and mostly wants a house she can call her own. Esperanza does not believe she belongs in the world “nobody could make you sad and nobody would think you’re strange because you like to dream and dream” (83). Esperanza is trying to grow up and she figures out why Sally is so sad which shows she is starting to mature. She starts to come of age and starts to question the bad in the world. Her maturity level is raising from the beginning of the book showing her innocence is rising in a short time. And if she likes it or not she is starting to come of age. She is showing she wants to be more independent and developing into a teen. When Esperanza is raped by many men she does not enjoy it and believe everyone like Sally have lied to her “They all lied. All the books and magazines, everything that told it wrong” (100). Esperanza is taken advantage of by many men and loses all of her innocence through this. She completely changes her views of the world and realizes the monster it can truly be. She is mad at Sally because when Sally experienced sex she enjoyed it and told Esperanza this but when Esperanza experienced it for herself she did not enjoy in at all. The men have taken advantage of her and she changes and wants to become more independent and go somewhere in the world. She does not want to end up like all the other women in her neighborhood. Esperanza has been taken advantage of by many men and this had led all of her innocence to diminish. Esperanza has lost all of her innocence and wants to change.
She wants to achieve her goals, get an education and a house of that she can call her own. When she grows up she does not want to be like Sally which is a great thing. She wants to change and become successful but she does not want to forget about where she came from and she wants to give back to her community. She has completely changed from the beginning of the novel and she has changed for the good of herself. When she gets a house of her own “Passing bums will 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” (86) she does not want to forget where she grew up and understands other people’s situation. Esperanza is becoming more mature and is taking more responsibility and she is trying to help other people. She has changed because the old self would have never done anything like this, but due to the events Esperanza has experienced she is willing to help the good people. She knows not to be taken advantage by men, she has her own goals and is looking to achieve them with all costs. Getting a house of her own is her ultimate goal in her life “Only a house quiet as a snow, a space for myself to go, clean as a paper before the poem” (108). Esperanza wants a house of her own and she wants to be independent. She has matured completely, she never depends on anyone. She understands the horrors and the good in the world and she has chosen the path she wants
to go down. This quote is showing how eagerly she wants a house. Esperanza has fully developed into a woman and is looking to achieve her goals. Coming into conclusion, Esperanza’s experiences in the adult world leads to her coming of age. In the beginning of the book Esperanza is young and very innocent. As she gets older she begins to experience the horrors and struggles of adult life. These experiences slowly removes their innocence as they grow into adulthood. She is young girl growing up in a rundown Latino dominated neighborhood. Esperanza does not want to belong, not to her rundown neighborhood and not to the low expectations the world has for her. She believes that everything in people is good, she does not know that dark side of people. As Esperanza ages, she is taken advantage of by many men and her innocence starts to diminish. She is taken advantage of, and she does not enjoy this feeling unlike the other characters in the book like Sally. Towards the end of the book, she has experienced traumatic events and wants to change into a better person. She is becoming mature and taking more responsibility in her life. She has become independent and developed into a woman and has decided which path she has decided to go down. Innocence is something all people are born with and as people grow, they lose it. Esperanza came into a novel an innocent child and left the novel at the doorsteps of adulthood. Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1991.
In the book, Esperanza doesn’t want to follow the norms of the life around her; she wants to be independent. Esperanza states her independence by stating, “Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own,” (Cisneros 108.) The syntax of these sentences stick out and are not complete thoughts, yet they convey much meaning and establish Esperanza’s feeling of not belonging. Esperanza’s feeling of not belonging is also emphasized when her sisters tell her that the events of her life have made her who she is and that is something she can not get rid of. Her sisters explain that the things she has experienced made her who she is by saying, “You will always be esperanza. You will always be mango street. You can’t erase what you know” (105.) What her sisters are trying to tell her is that the past has changed her but it doesn’t have to be a negative thing; it can be used to make her a better person who is stronger and more independent. Esperanza realizes that the things around her don’t really add up to what she believes is right, which also conveys the sense of not
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.
Esperanza is a young girl who struggles with feelings of loneliness and feeling that she doesn’t fit in because she is poor. She always wanted to fit in with the other kids and feel like she was one of them. She loves to write because it helps her feel better about herself writing about her life and her community. Writing helps her with
Esperanza begins as a very wealthy girl in Mexico, and doesn’t think about how lucky she is to have the privileges that she has. She can have almost anything she wants and has to do little work. Esperanza barely even thinks about the lower classes. They are not part of her life. But when her ranch is burned down and her father killed, she has to leave Mexico and enter the United States as an illegal immigrant. But by doing so, she is forced into contact with many people far less wealthy and well-off than her. When Esperanza enters Zacatecas to board the train, she is surprised that they are not in the fancy section. Instead, they are in a car with peasants and beggars. “Esperanza had never been so close to so many peasants before. When she went to school, all of her friends were like her. When she went to town, she was escorted and hurried around any beggars. And the peasants always kept their distance. That was simply the way it was. She couldn’t help but wonder if they would steal her things.” (p. 67). Esperanza has an obvious suspicion of the peasants during her train ride. She tells her mother that she cannot travel in this car , and that the people didn’t look trustworthy. A little bit into the trainride ...
Esperanza tries to be a good friend to Sally, but ends up appearing immature and silly. Esperanza feels shame, as she “wanted to be dead”, to “turn into the rain”, and have “my eyes melt into the ground like black snails” (Cisneros 97). With sensory-rich imagery, the author uses similes and metaphors to describe Esperanza’s feelings of utter mortification as she embarrasses herself in front of Sally. Esperanza becomes confused about her newfound sexuality and her loss of innocence when she begins acting strangely, yet awkwardly around boys. She doesn’t know whether to act like a child or an adult because although she wants to be mature and glamorous like Sally, and she gets exposed to the harsh nature of society. The disillusioned view of becoming mature and having boys notice her is especially realized by Esperanza when she gets raped at a carnival. Through detailed imagery, Cisneros describes the dirtiness of the boy, elaborating on “his dirty fingernails against my skin” and “his sour smell again” (Cisneros 100) and the confusion and anger from Esperanza. After this experience, Esperanza blames Sally instead for covering up the truth about boys and is heartbroken about the real truth of sexuality and men. It is clear that Esperanza vividly remembers this awful experience, and just reflecting on this experience causes her thoughts to
Esperanza wishes she could change where she lives. Even though Esperanza moved to a nicer house, she still does not like the house on Mango Street. Esperanza’s parents made the house they were moving to seem luxurious. Upon arrival, Esperanza realized “the house of Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath” (4). Even though the house on Mango Street is an improvement, it is still not good enough for Esperanza. Esperanza says, “I knew I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t. the house on Mango Street isn’t it” (5). She dreams of one day having a bigger and better house. The new and improved house will be a place for others to come and stay, “some days after dinner, guests and I will sit in front of a fire. Floorboards will squeak upstairs. The attic grumble. Rats? They’ll ask. Bums I’ll say, and I’ll be happy” (87). Dreaming of moving to a new house not only gives Esperanza the feeling of control and independence, but makes her
Esperanza is relying on her childhood to help her through life she feels like “a red balloon tied to an anchor” (9,1,3) This passage describes that Esperanza singles herself out for her differences instead of her similarities and she knows it. She also sees her differences as a source of her isolating herself. She floats in the sky for all of the rest of us to see, dangling from a string. Esperanza is longing on for an escape like a balloon similar to her experiences with our society. However against the face that Cisneroz gives her a light voice, doesn't mean that it's not just as strong and
Esperanza's overwhelmed tone reveals her fear and doggedness to adversity when sally's game defiles the garden's innocence/purity, exposing Esperanza to the realization that she cannot remain a kid forever.
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.”
At first, Esperanza is young, insecure, and immature. Her immaturity is apparent when she talks about her mom holding her, saying it is, “sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you and you feel safe” (Cisneros 6-7). This shows Esperanza’s insecurity because her mom is still a big comfort source to her. She feels a false sense of comfort because her mom is there and will protect her. In addition, Esperanza’s immaturity is shown through her dislike for outsiders of the neighborhood when she says, “They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake” (Cisneros 28). This indicates how defensive and protective Esperanza is towards her barrio by calling outsiders stupid for reacting the way they do, even though she dislikes Mango Street....
Esperanza is a very strong woman in herself. Her goals are not to forget her "reason for being" and "to grow despite the concrete" so as to achieve a freedom that's not separate from togetherness.
Esperanza dreams of someday having a satisfying life. She doesn't want her path of freedom to be cleared by having a baby or finding a husband. She has no desires to fall into the trap of dependency. As the author writes, "Her power is her own. She will not give it away" (Cisneros 89).
Even early on she is able to see herself through everyday objects and situations. For instance, outside her window are 4 thin trees, which are described,“ Their strength is a secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground,”(74). Even though this vignette is early on, Esperanza at the moment finds reflections of herself , like the trees, which help her understand who she is. In this case she sees herself as a very strong person , however like the trees, not everyone is aware of the strength she holds. This shows that Esperanza has grown up and developed into a strong girl, from living on Mango Street, which carry her through her future, which will be important as she breaks away from Mango Street. Further down the line , as Esperanza concludes her thoughts of her childhood she says,“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,”(110). There she realizes she is capable of taking a hold of her future and not letting her rough past control what is to come. She sees that she can hold onto her past, but her past can't hold onto her. In other words she gets that her past will always be part of her, but she is too strong for it to make her up as a person fully. Breaking free from Mango Street will be the next chapter of Esperanza’s
In the novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, a young girl named Esperanza Cordero, who lives in the poor segregated Latino section of Chicago, struggles to find her sexual identity as she tries to find a means of escape from the poverty-driven neighborhood of Mango Street. Through observing other female role models and through her own experience, Esperanza learns that harnessing her sexuality and relying on others is not nearly enough to allow her to leave Mango Street. Esperanza later finds out that if she plays with her sexuality and waits for her prince charming, the result might not end in such a happily ever after.
Identities can be stolen, lost, forgotten, but most importantly, they can be found. In the novella, The House On Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros portrays a girl who does not know her identity. Esperanza is living in a very impovershed part of her city, and this gives her a very negative outlook on her life and her surroundings. This negative outlook causes her to reject her own identity and who she is. Esperanza’s negative view of herself slowly changes, though, as she begins to focus on her larger community and her place within it. Hroug this, Cisneros shows that knowing and accepting where one comes from is an important part of growing up and determining one’s identity.