1. What is the meaning of the point Esperanza’s mother can do anything except take the subway mentioned in the chapter “A smart cookie”? How might their relationship be characterized?
-> The fact that her mother does not share the same point of view with her makes Esperanza differentiate herself from the one who she has always been mentally depended on. This shows her mature as well as her independence to have her own thoughts, targets in life without being influenced by anyone. We can see that Esperanza is gradually forming her independence and there are possibilities that she will move out of the Mango Street in the future, which she has always wanted to do.
2. In "Red Clowns", why does Cisneros again write about the assault that Esperanza
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suffered from men? -> This part shows that the main character has not fully mature and she still has innocent thoughts about the world around her that women has the responsibility to protect each other from men, and that adults should tell young girls about the sexuality.
Additionally, although Esperanza understands and wants to fight for women's rights, she is still one of the victims of the men, as if it is a normal thing that happens in the neighborhood, which shows that there are still unfairness in her society which is challenging to change.
3. Why does the only lasting friendship Esperanza seem to have is with Alicia?
-> Alicia shares the same target with Esperanza which is escape from the barrier by their own but not through someone else like Sally or many other young women from the neighborhood. Alicia also complete the final step in Esperanza's escape from Mango Street: have the responsibilities to her roots. Throughout the novel, Esperanza has made friends with a lot of different girls, but in the end, only Alicia is the one who has the same goals and thoughts like her, and she also gives Esperanza useful advices for her life. This marks the success in Esperanza's maturing stage and also the development of her target in life.
4. Why is the paragraph from the first chapter about names of Esperanza's previous houses is repeated in the last chapter? Does it have any meaning to the
novel? -> Among the houses she has lived in, the house on Mango Street is the one Esperanza remembers the most, and when she writes about it, it can be seen that she is able to free herself from the embarrasments that she used to have from it. It can be clearly seen that Esperanza has changed her viewpoint on the house and has developed love with the place she used to want to escape from. Although she still wants to move out of the barrier, she has defined her responsibilities with her roots and there is the sign that she will come back and make the place better. At the moment, she has found her own method to escape, writing, which keeps her free and be able to express her own feelings.
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
In the story the house on mango street there are both young girls, Sally and Esperanza. Both girls desire adventure, love, and beauty. However, Sally is more outgoing and confident than Esperanza. She has confidence that she is beautiful. She play the role of a strong female that never get hurt by any boys. Esperanza admires and looks up to Sally. Esperanza does not want to be a "weak woman" and she sees Sally as her role model. Their home lives contrast also Ironically. Sally is physically abused by her father each time he catches her with a boy. On the other side Esperanza and her family communicates well. Sally sees her self as a women and not the type of women a person that isn't confident of herself and that's what Esperanza likes.
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 the heart and soul of this story. She changes and develops new habits over the course of the book. Because of how the book is written, she’s also the main character who gives the story it’s unity. Everything in the story is told in her perspective anyway so she could be the narrator and the protagonist. Even the stories about other characters have some sort of connection with Esperanza. She is The House On Mango Street, she is Esperanza.
This is one of the most important chapters because this is where Esperanza shows that she is growing up from a girl to a woman. Esperanza says that someday she “wants to be all new and shiny.” She says that she wants to sit out bad and have a boy hanging all over her. I find this interesting because I’m sure that everyone goes through something like this where we want to be rebellious and defy our parents. These are just some of the signs that Esperanza does not want to accept what her parents say is law, and she wants to try out some things of her own. For example, in the beginning of the chapter, Esperanza does not say that Sire is a punk, her father does. With children, this is not a good way to be. This just makes Sire seem exciting and sparks Esperanza’s interest to be around him.
Many are confined in a marriage in which they are unhappy with, and are reductant to make a change. Some are committed to make a change for themselves. Esperanza ponders each one of these women's lives. Through each role model Esperanza gains crucial life lessons on how to overcome different life hardships. Through some women like her great-grandmother and Ruthie, Esperanza learns she must take control her fate, to avoid marrying young, and not let a male figure dictate her future. Other women like Alicia, Esperanza learns to keep pursuing goals in life and to take control of her destiny no matter what obstruction may lay ahead. From Esperanza’s role models, the moral lesson that can be taken away is to be proactive about your life and to shape your own future. Everyone is a role model to somebody in their life. Strive to leave a positive message behind for the ones shadowing in your
Esperanza builds her strength off the mishaps that occur while living on Mango Street. In the vignettes, Esperanza describes some very interesting things that take place on Mango Street. She recalls a time when Sally befriended her and told Esperanza to leave her alone with the boys. Esperanza felt out of place and was very uncomfortable and very ashamed to be in that situation. She wanted more from life than that, so she left the scene.
Throughout The House on Mango Street Esperanza learns to resist the gender norms that are deeply imbedded in her community. The majority of the other female characters in the novel have internalized the male viewpoint and they believe that it is their husbands or fathers responsibility to care for them and make any crucial decisions for them. However, despite the influence of other female characters that are “immasculated”, according to Judith Fetterley, Esperanza’s experiences lead her to become a “resisting reader” in Fettereley’s terminology because she does not want to become like the women that she observes, stuck under a man’s authority. She desires to leave Mango Street and have a “home of her own” so that she will never be forced to depend on a man (Cisneros 108). During the course of the novel Esperanza eventually realizes that it is also her duty to go back to Mango Street “For the ones that cannot out”, or the women who do not challenge the norms (110). Esperanza eventually turns to her writing as a way to escape from her situation without having to marry a man that she would be forced to rely on like some of her friends do.
...will pack my bags of books and paper. 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.” (Cinceros 110) This shows how Esperanza needs to break free of Mango Street and move on because Mango Street has nothing more to offer a young free mind like Esperanza. She will move far away so she can continue on with her American Dream as one person and not have the weight of her family’s American Dream on her shoulders.
Lots of people different feelings about conflicts. In other words, we don't all have the same feelings. First, Esperanza describes her house as not a very good place to live, but other people might enjoy it. "The house on Mango St. is ours and we don't have to pay rent but even so, its not the house we thought we'd get" (3). "Everybody has to share a bedroom" (3). These quotes illustrate that Esperanza's house is small and unattractive which she doesn't like very much. Second, Rosa Vargas has a lot of kids and she doesn't know what to do. "Rosa Vargas' kids are too many and too much they are bad Vargases and how can they help it with only one mother who is tired who cries everyday for a man who left without even a dollar or a note explaining how come" (29).
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.
During the story, three main ideas express from the explicit theme. Courage, effort, and hope becomes the reason why Esperanza is successful to restart her life. When her house was fired by her uncle, her family decides to restart life. Even though they face lots of questions and problems, they never lose hope and try their best to live in
Introduction: If esperanza has the choice to be anyone she could have been Lucy or like her grandma the wild horse of a woman, but she turned out great with her own house and no man to control her. In addition, In the chapter The Three Sisters ‘p.103” she has to remember to come back for the others. Also if esperanza leaves the people behind mango can't get any better because no one will help mango change. Next if esperanza did not meet the three old ladies she would have left sooner making bad choices. In addition, I believe esperanza is supposed to help the women from the men abusing them. Last Esperanza really deals with