Abuse Of Women In The House On Mango Street

The book, The House on Mango Street, allowed readers to take a glimpse at life on Mango Street through Esperanza’s eyes. Esperanza described the neighborhood, providing insights on each of her neighbors and their families. She knew the street backwards and forwards; she grew up on the street. Despite it becoming a part of Esperanza’s childhood, she failed to truly belong to Mango Street. The women on Mango Street lacked independence. Most of the women had large families to take care of, sometimes single-handedly. In the novel, Esperanza alluded to the abuse of many of the women. In Alicia Who Sees Mice, Esperanza states that Alicia “Is afraid of nothing except four-legged fur. And fathers.” Even without any more detail, readers automatically see a shift in the tone of the chapter because of the indication of child abuse. No Speak English also shows signs of

Throughout the novel, it becomes clear that she wants to escape from this gender expectation. She doesn’t understand why the women she knows are so insubordinate to the men. In And Some More, Esperanza, Lucy, Rachel, and Nenny start watching clouds and naming the different types they see. Immediately, Nenny starts naming children’s names, while Rachel and Lucy name objects. They don’t know the scientific names, but Esperanza does, and she tries to explain them to the other girls. Nenny, Lucy, and Rachel don’t share the same desire for intellect and education as Esperanza. Later in the novel, Esperanza befriends Sally, the complete opposite of her. Sally flirts with the boys, yearning for love and romance. In The Monkey Garden, Esperanza is disgusted with the way the boys treat Sally, stealing her keys and demanding a kiss in return. While Sally goes along with it, Esperanza runs to the mother of one of the boys and tells of her concerns, while the mother dismisses it as a joke. She has strength in herself that many of the women on Mango Street