The House On Mango Street Conflict Essay

In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, conflict is utilized to present the notion that the challenges we face in our lives contribute to the shaping of our identity. This idea is presented early in the novel when readers are introduced to the root of Esperanza’s conflicts – her house on Mango Street. This street is where the novel takes place, and it is where a patriarchal society thrives, thus making it a primary conflict that Esperanza, along with other women, must deal with. This problem is first addressed when Esperanza explains the meaning behind her name: “It was my great-grandmother’s name and now it is mine. She was a horse woman too, born like me in the Chinese year of the horse – which is supposed to be bad luck if you’re born female – but I think this is a

Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don’t like their women strong” (10). From this quote, readers learn that Esperanza’s name was also her great-grandmother’s name. She continues by pointing out that she and her great-grandmother were both born in the Chinese year of the horse. A year that, when you’re a female, is supposed to be a bad omen due to the dislike for strong women. She later goes on to explain how her, “wild horse of a woman”, great-grandmother only married because her great-grandfather “threw a sack over her head and carried her off”. An action that her great-grandmother supposedly never forgave him for. So, even though Esperanza inherited her great-grandmother’s name, she affirms that she does not want to inherit her situation. What Esperanza wants most of all is to be an autonomous individual, and from a young age, she has learned that men have the ability to stand in the way of that. So, from this quote, readers see how the controlling male-dominated society will play a key role in the formation of Esperanza’s identity as she grows into a young woman and tries to figure out her place in the world. Continuing on, it’s not just the conflicts that Esperanza personally deals with, but it also includes her learning from other women as they struggle to combat the same problem. An example of this is presented when we are introduced to a character named Minerva: “She lets me read her poems. I let her read mine. She is always sad like a house on fire – always something wrong. She has many troubles, but the big one is her husband who left and keeps leaving” (84 – 85). Within this vignette, we learn that Minerva is a young woman who is slightly older than Esperanza; however, despite the small age gap, Minerva is already a mother with two kids. Although she does have a husband, he constantly leaves her, only to return with an apology and be accepted back into her life. All of this leaves Minerva in pain because she is “always sad like a house on fire”, thus showing the chaos and sorrow in her life. By the end of the vignette, Minerva goes to Esperanza for help on what she could do since she has been beaten by her abusive husband. However, Esperanza replies by saying that there is nothing that she can do because she has no advice to give. This emphasis tells us that Esperanza knows that, for things to change, Minerva must be the one who takes action and stands up for herself to take control over her own life. Additionally, despite encountering many other trapped women throughout the novel, Minerva is the only one who Esperanza can connect with. Not only are they close in age and share the same passion for poetry, but they also deal with the same patriarchal society. So, even though this is not Esperanza’s obstacle that she faces, it’s Minerva’s, she is still able to learn from Minerva. By having Esperanza see the similarities between herself and Minerva, it makes her realize that this is a possible future for her.

Of course, this isn’t the future she desires. With this realization, Esperanza’s identity shifts as she learns that she cannot become dependent on men, or else she risks falling onto the same path as the women around her. Lastly, as the story draws to a close, we finally see the impact that the controlling role men play has had on Esperanza. In the vignette appropriately titled “A House of My Own”, Esperanza describes her ideal future house: “Not a flat. Not an apartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own” (108). From the vignette’s title, readers immediately know what it is that Esperanza is longing for, because just like the title states, she simply wants a place that is hers. A house that is filled with her belongings and provides a space where she can become herself. However, most importantly, she states that her house will not belong to a man, but instead will be entirely hers. Since Esperanza specifically proclaims that she does not want her home to be owned by a man, it displays how the conflicts that she endured have shaped

her. Ultimately, it was Esperanza’s life experiences that undoubtedly contributed to the formation of her identity by teaching her to favor freedom and independence in order to prevent becoming trapped like the other women on Mango Street. All in all, people must understand that it’s the struggles in life – whether they’re ours or the lessons we learn from others – that teach us important lessons which will, in the end, lead us done a better path.