The House of Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

1413 Words3 Pages

Women of Dreams
The question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is often asked by teachers, parents, friends, and family addressing younger children. It would seem that most Americans have within them the sense that dreams do have the potential to become reality. People often choose to see the “bright futures” of children in order to reassure them they can be anything they want to be. It seems as though there are no barriers to reach a goal if enough hard work is applied. Does this truth transcend cultural divides? Do people of minority in the United States have the same hope about their futures as the majority does? Sandra Cisneros depicts the unique dreams of Mexican-American women despite cultural depression in her story The House on Mango Street.
The plot of The House on Mango Street symbolizes an immigrant family moving to the United States in hope of a future with more opportunities. It is a story about a girl by the name of Esperanza and the retelling of the events in her childhood. Esperanza faces many challenges growing up in an underdeveloped neighborhood of inner city Chicago. Through her experiences at home, school, and with people she starts to blossom into the young woman she always wanted to be. Esperanza encounters many unjust acts as a result of living in an urban neighborhood. These encounters make her want to move to a different neighborhood because she feels like she does not belong on Mango Street. She feels trapped because she has a dream to attend college and become a writer. Her hope is that she will be able to live a prosperous American life and be able to come back to Mango Street to help those who cannot escape on their own. It is, most importantly, the story of a girl maturing into a woman an...

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Martinez, Elizabeth Coonrod. "Humble creator of an iconic novel." Americas [English Edition] May-June 2009: 62+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
Martinez, Miriam. "A Latina of many colors, Sandra Cisneros." Latino Leaders Apr.-May 2004: 42+. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
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