In the novel, The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros describes the obstacles that Latino women face in a society that treats them as second class citizens. A society that is dominated by men, and a society that values women for their physical description and not for their noetic proficiencies. In her Novel Cisneros opens the reader to the obstacles that Latino women must face everyday in order to be treated fairly.
In the Book women are looked upon as objects by men. The girls in the novel grow up with the mentality that looks and appearance are the most paramount things to a woman. For example, “ Her designation is Marin or Maris or something like that, and she wears dark nylons all the time and lots of makeup she gets liberate from selling Avon. She can't emerge – gotta baby-sit with Louie's sisters – but she stands in the doorway a lot, all the time singing” (10.2). Cisneros additionally shows how Latino women are expected to be loyal to their spouses, and that
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the spouse should have consummate control. However, Cisneros describes the character Esperanza as being different. Albeit she is born and raised in the same culture as the women around her, she is not blissful with it, and kens that someday she will break liberate from the traditional ties, because she is mentally vigorous and has built a bulwark by telling stories. “She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their woefulness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she contrite because she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her designation, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window”. She comes back through her stories by exhibiting the women that they can be independent individuals. The Latino women and girls in the novel are solicitous about their appearances, because they feel that if they aren’t comely then they won’t have a good life. A good example of this is Marin. When Marin verbalizes about an authentic job Marin verbally expresses that the best place to work is downtown, not because of the work that is there, but because "you always get to look pulchritudinous and were nice habiliments." She additionally tells the girls that the only thing that matters is if your skirts are short, and your ocular perceivers are resplendent, so that you are descried by guys. Cisneros is exhibiting us again that the only values that these Latino woman have are the values placed upon them by men, and these values are observed by little girls who cerebrate this is the right way of doing things, and therefore the conception of women being independent is never aurally perceived of, until girls like Esperanza have hopes of leaving her patriarchal society, and becoming independent, only to one day hope of coming back to edify others that they don't have to be dependent on men. The symbolic paramountcy of the attire to the girls is shown one day when the girls are given a bag of high heeled shoes that Esperanza calls "magic high-heels." When the girls put on the shoes they felt like Cinderella. They spend time learning how to cross and uncross their legs and how to ambulate down to the corner "so that the shoes verbalize back to you with every step." Esperanza verbalizes that "the men can't take their ocular perceivers off us," The girls don't seem to mind this treatment either. They relish it, because they are too adolescent to understand that they are being treated as objects, not people. In the chapter, "Sally", Cisneros describes a girl that she venerates but doesn't expound anything about her besides her looks. Esperanza describes her as having "ocular perceivers like Egypt, and nylons the color of smoke." You can tell that Esperanza is very envious of Sally, and would relish to have smoky nylons , and have ebony suede shoes. Even though Esperanza kens that Sally will probably be headed for a life of difficulties because of her grown-up looks, Esperanza optically discerns herself as the "the unsightly daughter" and sometimes settles for being the "one nobody comes for." Throughout the novel we optically discern that Latino women cerebrate that their purport in life is to find a male companion and to get espoused . In a way this is the Cisneros version of the "Pretty trap ,"because the girls have been edified by society that being pretty is an aptitude that can get them somewhere in life. In describing Marin, for example, Cisneros explicates that Marin is standing on the street "waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to transmute her life." In other words, if you are a woman you require a man to make your life worthwhile. Esperanza has determined not to grow up like the other girls, and she relucts to be dominated by men. However, Cisneros shows many examples of women getting espoused and culminate up being owned by their husbands.
She describes women who are prisoners in their own homes, who look out the window their whole lives. Sally is a good example. Sally, who is been kept inside her whole life, gets espoused afore eighth grade. She gets espoused to get away from all the troubles she has with her father. "She verbally expresses, she's in love but I cerebrate she did it to elude," verbalizes Esperanza. Sally withal has a home and things of her own now. Her husband, however, does not let her verbalize on the phone, visit with friends or look out the window. Her days are spent alone visually examining all the things that they own. " The Towels and toaster, and alarm clock and drapes." Esperanza realizes that albeit Sally now has all the material things a husband can provide, her life is not worth very much because she is trapped in a room with nothing to do, except visually examine the things that she
owns. Cisneros utilizes the book The House on Mango Street to show that you acquire the credences of others around you , and when you never have a chance to get acquainted with all the aspects of life you can't imagine a better life for yourself, when you don't ken what to imagine. She engenders the character Esperanza to show us that that every once in a while one person can be different, and endeavor to make their life preponderant, and the lives of others preponderant.
The House on Mango Street, a fictional book written by Sandra Cisneros is a book filled with many hidden messages. The book revolves around a young girl named Esperanza who feels out of place with the life she has. She sees that the things around her don’t really add up. The story is told from Esperanza’s perspective and the events she goes through to find herself. Through the strategy of fragmenting sentences, Cisneros establishes that the sense of not belonging, creates a person’s individuality that makes them who they are.
he won’t let her talk on the telephone. And he doesn’t let her look out the window.” (Cisneros 101) Sally takes the in the influence of the other women around her that she thinks that marriage is the best thing for her. Esperanza saw this coming when she knew that she would not be able to save Sally. That is because it was already happening. Esperanza saw that Sally was tu...
“The House on Mango Street” emphasizes on this issue, even broadens to explain other controversial matters such as abuse, misogynistic views, and stereotypes. The protagonist, Esperanza Cordero moves to Mango Street where she must witness the abuse affecting her friends, neighbors, and family. Either Sally a close friend, Mamacita a neighbor, or her own mother handling 4 children. Over the course of the novel Esperanza changes physically and mentally. Through the use of imagery as well as complex, descriptive vignettes Cisneros epitomizes the misogynistic views within Esperanza’s
As the chapter opens, the first impression of Sire is one of a James Dean type of character. Sire and his friends are just sitting on their bikes, pitching pennies, or in other words, gambling. Esperanza tells us that she is scared of them, which makes me wonder why she would be afraid of them? She then says how her dad calls him a “punk.”
Symbolism is the key to understanding Sandra Cisneros’ novel, “The House on Mango Street”. By unraveling the symbolism, the reader truly exposes the role of not only Latina women but women of any background. Esperanza, a girl from a Mexican background living in Chicago, writes down what she witnesses while growing up. As a result of her sheltered upbringing, Esperanza hardly comprehends the actions that take place around her, but what she did understand she wrote in her journal. Cisneros used this technique of the point of view of a child, to her advantage by giving the readers enough information of what is taking place on Mango Street so that they can gather the pieces of the puzzle a get the big picture.
Maria Elena de Valdes writes her review based upon the novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros analyzing the identity of the main character, Esperanza, and how the text relates to Mexican-American individuals. Valdes’ review evaluates The House on Mango Street with a feminist view on to show the struggles of a young chicana girl coming of age and how she chooses to establish her own identity.
Sandra Cisneros once said “'Hispanic' is English for a person of Latino origin who wants to be accepted by the white status quo. ’Latino' is the word we have always used for ourselves.” In the novel I read, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros the main character a twelve-year-old Chicana (Mexican-American girl), Esperanza, saw self-definition as a struggle, this was a major theme in the novel through Esperanza’s actions and the ones around her. Esperanza tries to find identity in herself as a women as well as an artist throughout the novel through her encounters. Esperanza was able to provide the audience an image that was vivid of her surroundings by her diction and tone. Esperanza presents a series of stories that she deals with in her neighborhood as she is growing up. Esperanza arose from poverty and always dreamt of having a house of her own. Sandra Cisneros' strong cultural and gender values have a tremendous influence in The House on Mango Street. Cisneros feels that the Mexican-American community is very abusive towards the treatment of women because men are seen as the powerful, strong figure. Women are seen as failure and can’t strive without men in a Mexican-American community. In this novel you can see a cultural approach which examines a particular aspect of a culture and a gender studies approach which examines how literature either perpetuates or challenges gender stereotypes.
In The House on Mango Street, Cisneroz agitates the theme of diversity through her use of characters and setting. Cisneroz paints a multitude of events that follow a young girl named Esperanza growing up in the diverse section of Chicago. She is dealing with searching for a release from the low expectations that the Latino communities often put women whether young or old are put against. Cisneroz often draws from her life growing up that she was able to base Esperanza's life experiences on and portray an accurate view on Latino societies today. Cisneroz used the chapter “Boys and Girls” and “Beautiful and cruel” to portray Esperanzas growth from a young curious girl to a wise woman. She came into her own personal awareness and her actions that she has to now be held accountable for.
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.
Cisneros depicts Mango Street as a rough neighborhood, but she also conveys a sense of community. She writes down that “we are safe,” (Cisneros, 28) to indicate that she can find the sense of community. Even if the author does not think she belongs to Mango Street, she does not deny that her community lives there. At the beginning of The House on Mango Street, Cisneros states that “I had to have a house. A real house,” (Cisneros, 5) illustrating that after knowing the American society’s evaluation criteria of success, she wants to follow the upward mobility and be viewed as a successful figure not only because she wants to be appreciated but also because white people will change their stereotypes of Hispanic people if they see that a Hispanic woman can be as successful as other whites. Her ambition triggers her to want to explore the meaning of being a Hispanic girl in the real world. Furthermore, in the “My name” session, the author depicts her great-grandmother’s life. “She looked out the window her whole life… but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window.” (Cisneros, 11) Cisneros wants a marriage formed because of love, like most white people do; her desire indicates that she wants to live like the whites, so that they will respect her and the Hispanic race later. In addition, Cisneros points out that she
Patriarchy is a form of social organization. Sandra Cisneros, a writer who was one of seven children and the only girl, has written extensively about the Latina experience in the United States. “The House on Mango Street” contains many of her family members and friends, which are Esperanza, the narrator; her mother and father; Sarah and Lucy, her best friends; Nenny, her little sisters; and Carlos and Kiki, her youngest brother. “The House on Mango Street” is about a family that grew up very poor in Chicago. Her family always wanted to move, but she wanted this move to be her last move. Although they moved don’t mean that she was satisfied with it because she wasn’t and she hated her living conditions, she wanted to be independent and on her own; she wanted things to her way. She prayed for better days and for a better life, so one day she took it upon herself to leave. “The House on Mango Street”, by Sandra Cisneros, addresses the topic of Social Issues through her use of Ambiguity, allegory, and anecdote.
The role of strong female roles in literature is both frightening to some and enlightening to others. Although times have changed, Sandra Cisneros’ stories about Mexican-American women provide a cultural division within itself that reflects in a recent time. The cultural themes in Cisneros’s stories highlight the struggle of women who identify with Mexican-American heritage and the struggle in terms of living up to Mexican culture – as a separate ethnic body. The women in Sandra Cisneros’ stories are struggling with living up to identities assigned to them, while trying to create their own as women without an ethnic landscape. In Sandra Cisneros’ stories “Woman Hollering Creek: and “Never Marry a Mexican” the role of female identities that are conflicted are highlighted, in that they have to straddle two worlds at once as Mexican-American women.
Sandra Cisneros reveals her feminist views through her novel The House on Mango Street. She does this by forcing the reader to see the protagonist as an alienated artist and by creating many strong and intelligent female characters who serve as the protagonist's inspiration.
In the Book women are looked upon as objects by men whether they are boyfriends, friends fathers or husbands. The girls in the novel grow up with the mentality that looks and appearance are the most important things to a woman. Cisneros also shows how Latino women are expected to be loyal to their husbands, and that a husband should have complete control of the relationship. Yet on the other hand, Cisneros describes the character Esperanza as being different. Even though she is born and raised in the same culture as the women around her, she is not happy with it, and knows that someday she will break free from its ties, because she is mentally strong and has a talent for telling stories. She comes back through her stories by showing the women that they can be independent and live their own lives. In a way this is Cinceros' way of coming back and giving back to the women in her community.
He suggests that, men who take on the effeminate roles are not necessarily accepted in society, yet women who take on the masculine roles are not unusual and are often times seen as a necessity. In Pablito’s story, Senaida sells burritos to support the family, taking the role of the man, but despite claiming to be the “breadwinner”, Beto spends all of his money on alcohol and chooses not to support his family. Furthermore, in Cisneros story, the women are dispensable and very rarely are they served justice for their untimely death. Both authors indicate the amount of abuse and even murder that happens to women who “step out of bounds”. Many times the men have a fear that their status in their community is being undermined, rather them fearing of failing their family. Like Beto and Ramon, the men are willing to beat and even kill their wives and children for the sake of their reputation. The authors suggest that many of the instances where men abuse their wives, they were all either drunk or suffering in poverty. They primarily seem to be taking out their frustration of their declining job opportunities and income on both their wives and their