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Title: The House on Mango Street

Author: Sandra Cisneros

Date of publication: 1984

Genre: coming-of-age

Ariana Palazuelos

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The novel most likely takes place in the late 1960's. This can be determined by using simple context clues, such as how so-called "ordinary cars" had windows that rolled up. Also, the song that Marin sings, "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie", was released in 1966.

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Sandra Cisneros  was born on December 20, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up poverty-stricken with her mother, father, and six brothers. She often moved between the United States to Mexico.

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In a coming-of-age novel, the young protagonist often undergoes a mental growth. They experience certain events that lead to an emotional and psychological change or development.

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Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl, moves with her family to a small, red house on Mango Street, located in a poor urban neighborhood. Esperanza quickly makes it clear that she is unsatisfied with her house, despite her previous residences being no better. She immediately comes to the conclusion that she will leave this house on Mango Street, but at the moment, she is trapped in the neighborhood. During this time, she befriends and observes her neighbors. She meets people such as Lucy and Rachel, two sisters from Texas; Alicia, whose mother is dead and is forced by her father to rise early every morning to make tortillas for her family; Sally, a beautiful girl at school, who endures regular beatings by her father; Minerva, a teenaged mother of two, who is constantly being abandoned or beaten by her husband. This along with many other things, such as Esperanza being raped, has given her a sense of the real world. Her environment forced the child to mature far too quickly. This rude awakening encouraged Esperanza to carry out her dreams in order to leave the small, red house on Mango Street.

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Cisneros uses first-person narrative, short vignettes or chapters, simple vocabulary, and child-like diction to convey the innocence of Esperanza. The text is often poetic and filled with imagery and metaphors. Oftentimes the sentences are short and choppy, and basic punctuation is often omitted.

Ex. "People on the bus wave. A very fat lady crossing the street says, You sure got quite a load there. / Rachel shouts, You got quite a load there too. She is very sassy. / Down, down Mango Street we go. Rachel, Lucy, me. Our new bicycle. Laughing the crooked ride back."

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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. (4.2)

This is a prime example of the gender roles forced upon Esperanza and the other women of the neighborhood. She states that Mexicans don't like their women strong. The women are still obviously expected to take the role as the submissive housewife rather than aiming for their achievments.

Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor.

Esperanza is a red balloon, her color contrasting wildly to the rest of her neighborhood. She does not belong there and wants to "float away" out of Mango Street, but she is being held back by that poor neighborhood. It is her anchor, holding her back from achieving greatness.

Alicia, who inherited her mama's rolling pin and sleepiness, is young and smart and studies for the first time at the university. Two trains and a bus, because she doesn't want to spend her whole life in a factory or behind a rolling pin. (14.2)

Alicia is a very important woman in Esperanza's life. This quote shows that despite all of the obstacles, she is still trying her hardest to get an education in order to escape teh gender roles that society has placed on her. She does not want to be the obedient housewife, she wants to accomplish her own dreams.

Sally, you lied, you lied. He wouldn’t let me go. He said I love you, I love you, Spanish girl.

This is a powerful quote after Esperanza's rape. Sally has been the only sexual example for Esperanza, up until she experienced sexual assault. This was the moment where Esperanza was forced to mature. No longer could she be a kid, because this event stripped her of her innocence, her purity.

One day I will pack my bags of books and papers. 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.

This shows the importance of knowledge. Instead of conforming to the gender roles and escaping Mango Street on the arm of a husband, she has decided to make it on her own, with only her education to support her, much like Alicia.

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Esperanza - youthful, innocent, naive - Esperanza is a twelve year old Hispanic girl living on Mango Street. She has big dreams and many goals, one of which is to leave the neighborhood. She is innocent and pure until a series ofe vents, such as her rape, force her to mature.

Significance: Esperanza is the narrator. She is the youthful tool through which this story is told.

Nenny - childish, dependent, immature - Nenny is Esperanza's little sister whom follows her around. Esperanza is mostly embarassed of her, due to her being so young and immature. Despite this, Esperanza is fiercely protective of her.

Signficance: Eventually, Esperanza begins to appreciate her. There is a sisterly bond that enables Nenny to understand Esperanza in ways her friends cannot.

Lucy and Rachel - innocent, playful, youthful - These girls were Esperanza's closest friends. They were young girls from Texas who befriended Esperanza. While one is quiet, one is abrasive and outgoing.

Significance - The gave Esperanza a taste of childhood amidst the hardships of Mango Street. They went on adventures and played just as little girls do, giving her an escape from relaity.

Sally - sexual, mature, troublesome - Sally is a beautiful girl from the neighborhood with an abusive father and an assortment of lovers. She is very sexually mature for her young age.

Significance: Sally is a girl who relied on a husband to escape the grasp of Mango Street. Rather than rely on her education, she relied on men and her looks. She set an example for Esperanza of who not to aspire to be.

Alicia - smart, hard-working, responsible - Alicia is a young woman with a dead mother. Because of this, she was responsible for her younger siblings. Despite all of the obstacles, she tried her hardest to get an education so that she would not bef orced into being a mother and wife.

Significance: Alicia provided an example of who Epseranza should strive to be. She relies on knowledge and education to progress her through life. She works really hard to achieve her goals, just as Esperanza should try to do.

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The setting takes place around a red, shabby house on Mango Street. Most of the action happens outside of the house in the poor, mostly Latin neighborhood. This neighborhood is understood to be located in Chicago, the author's place of birth.

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The opening scene lays out a perfect setting for Esperanza's lower class family. It shows them moving from shabby place to shabby place. This gives background to Esperanza's extreme poverty. This is also the first introduction to Esperanza's youth; the diction in the opening scene is childlike. It also shows Esperanza's unsatisfaction and her desire to go places better than Mango Street.

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The closing scene signifies Esperanza's determination to achieve great things through the use of knowledge. It shows her overcoming the negative affects of poverty and not allowing them to hold her down. The closing scene is Esperanza's promise to change her own life in a positive way, then come back to help the others that can't see past their poverty-stricken neighborhood.

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Trees - The trees symbolize growth and prosperity. Esperanza compares herself to the trees because they don't seem to belong in the neighborhood, just as she believes she doesn't either. The trees were able to grow and flourish despite trying to be held down by the concrete of Mango Street, just as Esperanza hopes to achieve her dreams despite the poverty-stricken neighborhood of which she resides.

The Monkey Garden - The Monkey Garden symbolizes the sudden maturing that Esperanza experienced. The Monkey Garden was a playful hideout for the children, a hot spot for youth and innocence. It soon became corrupted, overgrown with weeds and trash. No longer is it full of innocence; Sally even goes into the garden to kiss boys. This directly relates to the corruption of Esperanza's own innocence.

Red balloon - The red balloon symbolizes Esperanza and her need to be free. Just as a balloon, if allowed, Esperanza could achieve higher goals. The balloon is tied to an anchor though, just as Esperanza feels held back by the house on Mango Street.

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One possible theme is innocence, and the corruption thereof. Esperanza begins as a young, naive girl, unaffected by the negativity of her environment. This innocence begins to diminish as she spends more time experiencing the "real world". She is constantly bombarded by the hardships of people around her, such as the abuse and mistreatment of many of her female neighbors. This alone could cause anyone to lose their youthful innocence, but this act is finalized by Esperanza getting raped. This caused any shred of innocence left to be taken from her,

One possible theme is gender roles. Many of the women take the role of the submissive wife, marrying early and giving in to their husbands' needs. They do not make the money, they do not go out, and their only role is to be a housewife; cooking, cleaning, and raising are their only concerns. The women are often degraded. Many of the young girls are beaten. They typically escape from their father's abuse, only to be mistreated by their husbands. A blind eye is turned to this, as it is the wife's responsibility to obey. Esperanza, even at such a young age, easily recognizes these gender roles, and swears to escape them.

Another possible theme is overcoming the effects of poverty. Oftentimes once you grow up in a bad environment, especially one of poverty, that is where you remain. Poor neighborhoods often contain violence, substance abuse, and criminal activity. Many impressionable young people can easily be caught up in these events. It's the responsibility of these young people such as Esperanza to overcome the pressure of their environment. Esperanza understands that, and makes it a personal goal to escape the entrapment of poverty.