Most people could say that at one point, they have compromised their identity to fit in with others. In the stories “The Clique” by Lisi Harrison and “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, both characters have to figure out who they really are, and discover themselves as they progress through their teenage years. “The Clique” centers around Claire Lyons, a 7th grade girl moving from Florida to Westchester, NY so her father can get a new job working for an old college friend, the Blocks. Westchester is a whole different world from Florida; she lives in a guesthouse attached to the Block residence, where they have a daughter named Massie who is Claire’s age. Massie is part of a clique which is primarily her best friends, who are exclusive about who can join their group. “The House on Mango Street” is …show more content…
Claire’s main conflict centers around becoming part of the clique and getting Massie, one of her classmates to like her. From the beginning, we see Massie isolate Claire when she informs her friends that “she is not a GLU- it means girl like us.” (page 38). She also naturally just wants to fit in with her classmates, and join the popular group. “....deep down, a little nagging part of [Claire] wished she had been invited to sit at an A-List table.” (page 56). At surface value, this seems so different from Esperanza’s problems, but both girls just want to fit in and feel like a part of something. Esperanza’s main conflict, however, comes back to Mango Street. She decides from the beginning that this is not the place for her- “I knew then I needed to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it.” (chapter 1, paragraph 11). This is different from “The Clique”’s conflict when you first see it and in terms of motivation but both girls relate back to wanting to feel like apart of
Identity. Fluid like water, it can change or grow at any moment. Every individual has a unique set of influential people, places, and experiences that formed their identities. The impact outside factors can have on one 's identity is demonstrated through the memoirs Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Jr., and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.
She however is very reactive to this situation, she doesn’t tell anybody what happened, she steals late passes, hides in an abandoned janitor closet, and eventually ditches school. That example shows how irresponsible she is. House On Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, is about a young girl who moves into a new house with her family in Chicago Illinois in the early 1980’s. Esperanza is not a very happy person, especially after the year she had at the house on Mango Street.
In the short story The Party by Pam Munoz Ryan, there was a conflict and a theme that occurred. A girl wants to be invited to Bridget’s party, but she doesn’t get an invite while everyone she knows does. She goes throughout the day doubting herself on why she didn’t get invited. The gist of the story is this.
Sabira Hans 109 W Melrose Ave Baltimore, MD 21210 Dear Lisi Harrison, Some girls are popular and some aren’t. When I read The Clique it caught my eye. I was shocked by how these girls could be so cruel to each other and others. They don’t realize that what they are doing is really hurting people. I’m not going to say that some girls aren’t like this in real life, because, unfortunately, some are.
Sexuality in adolescence Sexuality is the most notorious and common sign of development in adolescence. “The House on Mango street”, by Sandra Cisneros is a coming of age novel, where Esperanza transitions from a girl into a young teen. In her journey, Esperanza comes across many challenges, she is forced to grow up by life’s adversities. In the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, a mother advises her daughter and scolds her into becoming a decent woman. In her guidance, the mother is worried about her daughter’s sexual activity and warns her about the consequences of improper behavior.
“Identity cannot be found or fabricated, but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go”- by Doug Cooper. Circumstances, experiences and society are factors in an individual’s life which contribute to the formation of their identity. Identity is not found, instead, it’s made by conflicts, hurdles, societal pressures and obstacles in one’s life which come together in harmony to create one’s identity in its purest form. How individuals act and respond to challenging circumstances determines their values, goals and beliefs, thus, forms them as a whole. In the text name “The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro, a character named Mary experiences stresses in her life which attribute to not only her individuality but to her development as a character as the story progresses.
Not once, or twice, or ever again.” (Cisneros 105). One of the reasons for this is her meeting the three old ladies who came for Rachel’s sister’s funeral. There prophesy that Esperanza will leave Mango Street boosts her self-confidence. The narrator also says, “Before Keeler it was Paulina, but what I remember most is Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong but do not belong to.”
As a child, Esperanza wants only escape from mango Street. Her dream of independents and "self-definition" also means leaving her family behind without any responsibilities to her family. Throughout the book, her has also faced some situation where is feels ashamed to be part of the Mango Street community and in some instances refuses to admit she has anything to do with mango street. At the beginning of the book near the earlier chapters, Esperanza feels very insecure about herself in general along with the house that she lives in. As mentioned before, she doesn’t want to discuss her name nor where she lives.
The most common, widespread epidemic in adolescent is the lack of self-esteem. If a teen loses confidence, they may engage in self-destructive views. To try to combat the lack of personal confidence, Canada and other individualistic countries emphasize being unique. In the short story, The Metaphor by Budge Wilson, Charlotte lives under the rule of her stern mother. Through her mother’s criticisms, her lack of confidence, and her desire to fit in with the community, Charlotte is shown to be insecure.
She knows she is lucky to have a less problematic family to support and her during good choices or bad decisions. Esperanza talks about the relationships of each family on Mango Street until she leaves and finds a better place. The other families on Mango Street also have it hard, but they don’t have the bond of the Esperanza’s
Throughout literature the constant theme of identity has been explored, with Northrop Frye even suggesting “the story of the loss and regaining of identity is, I think, the framework for all literature.” For characters, true identity isn’t always apparent, it needs to be searched for. Sometimes the inner struggle for identity stems from ones need for belonging. Whether one finds their sense of identity within friends, family, or in a physical “home”. It’s not always a place that defines identity.
Esperanza shifts from a follower into a confused individual, allowing her to begin her life as a woman outside of the oppressive nature of Mango Street. The suffocating stereotypes and sad, gloomy traits of the culture surrounding Esperanza contribute to the cultivation of her strong will and ardor. Mango Street opens her eyes to the abusive nature of her environment, and aids her in breaking the chain of corruption by defining and terminating the situation for herself. The neighborhood itself allows Esperanza to
The world is not as good as it seems. We learn this in the novel The House on Mango street by Sandra Cisnero. The book takes place in a run down neighborhood located in Chicago, Illinois in the 1960’s. Esperanza is the main character. She is 14 year old girl struggling with becoming a woman in a male dominated world, as well as choosing whether she wants to be popular or not.
Esperanza’s house on Mango Street is not the house she dreamed on when she lived on Loomis Street, not the kind of house her parent’s talked about, not the house she wanted. Her house on Mango Street is a small, red house with even smaller stairs leading to the door. The brick are falling out of place and to get inside, one must shove the door, swollen like Esperanza’s feet in later vignettes, open. Once inside, where you are never very far from someone else, there are small hallway stairs that lead to the only one shared bedroom and bathroom. This house is just, “For the time being,”[5] Esperanza claims, for this is nothing like the house she longs for.
She talked mostly about people who lives impacted her and important events that impacted her. The tone of the book calm and the sentences were short and simple. It was placed in Chicago around the 1980s. The theme of The House on Mango Street is growing up and leaving your childhood. The vignettes begin where the girl is younger and she gets older and matures more from her