Summer Reading Assessment
There are many things that humans need to survive. All of us need food, water, shelter and so on. But we also need intangible things: The things that we can not even see, but somehow manage to rely on so much. We need love, a sense of connection, and hope just to name a few. But the one intangible concept that I believe we need most is belonging. No matter what, we as humans need some level of belonging in their life to maintain proper mental health.
In the book “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, the main character, Esperanza Cordero, suffers from a lacking of belonging which leads her into depression. Based on many of the reviews of the book that I have read, I believe people are overlooking a very
…show more content…
Many times throughout the book she has described herself in ways that degrade herself. For example she once said “...i am not as pretty as Nelly…” I doubt this is actually true. I feel like her community made her feel like she is not as beautiful because she did not act like the stereotypical woman would.
The men on mango street beat and oppress the women. Esperanza’s raping and Sally’s beatings only reinforce this idea. Esperanza, as a woman, feels trapped. This is why she chooses to remain unmarried and act in a tomboyish manner. Doing this gives her a sense of empowerment because she is breaking the chains her community has bound her actions with for years. I believe that unity finally prevails when Esperanza finds herself in "a house of her own" throughout the entire book she had talked about that goal. Once she finally reached it all of the conflict seems to disappear. I suspect this is because Esperanza no longer has to avoid "belonging" to mango street, because now she belongs to her own house. Also, she finally gets to be comfortable in her own skin rather than be ashamed of wanting to be different. Unity does