Despotism In The House On Mango Street

The House On Mango Street: A Study in Feminine Obligation

To attempt to thrive in a society plagued by maltreatment and despotism is like trying to build a house of cards in the middle of an earthquake. Failure is the only possible outcome, and opposition simply ends in shame. Thus, in the House On Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros suggests that women fail their responsibilities of protection for each other when surrounded by a male dominant society, as shown in the relationship between Esperanza and Sally.
Esperanza fails Sally in “The Monkey Garden” by not following through with her attempts to derail the boys’ devious plan of forcing Sally to kiss them. When the boys take Sally into the garden for their kisses “something inside [Esperanza] wanted to say no”, to tell Sally that the treatment she was receiving from the boys was disgusting (Cisneros 119). Esperanza, however, cannot bring herself to raise objections to the treatment of her friend because of the daunting involvement of the boys, leaving Sally helpless to the hands of the vile youth. The boys are foreign, and,

Esperanza calls out, shouting, “Sally, make him stop”, but her friend ignores her pleas (Cisneros 123). The man distracted Sally, resulting in her friend being scarred beyond all measure. The men overpowered Sally’s mind, causing her to fail her duty as a womanly protector. In addition, Esperanza places full blame on Sally because she “never came for [her]”, breaking her promise to return to Esperanza's side (Cisneros 123). Esperanza relies on Sally to protect her from the dangers in her community that she cannot face herself, and Sally’s renege left her truly defenseless. Sally’s blatant ignorance of Esperanza’s state was the result of a man, and because of that Sally failed to uphold her obligation to her