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Gender Equality In The House On Mango Street

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“Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor (Cisneros 9).” This quote shows that Esperanza, the main character of the story, desires for freedom but is unable to get it. Esperanza is the red balloon who is unable to float away and the anchor is the society that she lives in. Esperanza’s rights have been oppressed by her society which prevents her from getting freedom to certain rights. The theme of The House on Mango Street is that everyone should have equality. Our society should work towards equal rights in the following ways. Women and men should have gender equality. Racism should be abandoned. All classes of society should be treated like a human being. Our society would never reach true freedom until we are all equal. Women and men should have gender equality. Early in the novel, Esperanza addressed that the boys and girls in the novel are not allowed to be seen with one another. Later in …show more content…

In The House on Mango Street Esperanza said, “But what difference does it make? He wasn't anything to her… Just another brazer who didn't speak English. Just another wetback. You know the kind. The ones who always look ashamed (Cisneros 66).” Esperanza was referring to one of her friends named Marin, who was poor, and she was dancing with a guy, Geraldo, who was of the upper class. Marin was having a lot of fun but the guy was just treating her like she was nothing because she was of a lower class. Geraldo said that she is just another fool who is a Mexican immigrant, the ones who look like they are embarrassed of where they came from. Marin is from a lower class of society and because of this Geraldo treats her unfairly. Esperanza’s society would be better off if people were not judged based on their class in society. Treating people unfairly due to their class of society is degrading and makes them lose their dignity. Our society would be better if all classes of society were treated the

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This shows that even though the community and neighborhood environment doesn't encourage women to get an education and for them just to be housewives. Esperanza's mom still supports women getting a good education and getting their own things in life. This quote shows that Esperanza's mom isn't affected by the community by motivating Esperanza to get an education and being self-reliant even though this isn't what most of the community believes. When Esperanza is thinking about how she wants to be in the future she says something about her little sister Nenny. The author states "Nenny says she won't wait her whole life for a husband to come and get her"(88).

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There was a man who felt the pain of isolation because he was very opinionated. The majority of the people in his world do not agree with him, making him feel alone and want to escape. Sandra Cisneros’ House On Mango Street, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, all share the unexpected benefit of isolation which leads each character to the discovery of the need for change within themselves or within their societies. Sandra Cisneros’ The House On Mango Street, shows a want for change through Esperanza’s unfortunate upbringing. Esperanza feels isolated because she doesn’t have friends and she does not have anything in common with her family.

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“Not a flat, not an apartment in the back. Not a man’s house. Not daddy’s house. A house all my own”(108). Esperanza no longer strives to be popular, pretty or to be with boys.

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She sees Darius as a kind of a brute, but sees that he can be wise for his age as well. She learns that there is more to people then how “the show” they might put on for other people and that others can be poetic and aware of their situation like she is. There were many lessons Esperanza learned from Mango Street, and many lessons that are in the book are relatable to the reader as well. Esperanza learns that if she doesn’t become strong and able to leave Mango Street, she could be stuck in an abusive relationship. She also learns that society can pressure people to put a mask on when others are around, and that you can’t truly know the genius of someone by watching the small glimpses of them you see when they around you.

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Esperanza’s neighborhood is not the richest and cleanest neighborhood around, in fact it could be counted as run down with a gloomy atmosphere. Esperanza’s house can be described as “small and red with tight steps in front.” With the description of this house we can assume that all the other houses will be similar and with that picture in mind, “those who don’t know any better comes into our neighborhood scared” because the setting is seen as a run down neighborhood. In a run down neighborhood you assume the worse because it's not like a clean

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These problems coming to light through the many women Esperanza looks up to, drive her to rise above her obstacles, and become more than just another poorly treated woman. Despite the variety of girls in the neighborhood, one of Esperanza’s closest friends ends up being Sally, who has moved from one abusive home to the next. Sally’s father was a very strict man and she constantly disobeyed him once out of his sight. Whenever Sally is caught dressing “provocative” or acting “too old” her father decides to teach her a lesson.

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Esperanza the protagonist of the novel. In the neighborhood where she lives, many people that does not know the place are afraid to get there. The fact that they would think it is a neighborhood full of criminals. "They think we are dangerous. They think they will attack them with shiny knives.

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But still feels lonely. Also, throughout the story Esperanza gets negative attention from boys because of her culture. For some men she comes across in the story they see her as a toy for her ethnicity and not being from America. This also embarrasses her as she is still trying to find out what love is but can’t because if the negative attention. Therefore, even though she struggles pushing through with her ethnicity, others have it just as hard as well, showing how different ethnicities can clash.

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The male-dominated society that Esperanza grows up in forces the idea that women are weak and should stay locked in their houses while men go off to work. The men are immoral and seedy, as expressed in the chapter in which a homeless man leers and asks for a kiss from the little girls. Esperanza experiences the evil of her community when she is sexually assaulted, causing her to lose her previous desire to explore her sexuality. Before being assaulted, she wanted to be “beautiful and cruel” like her friend Sally, because Sally was what she understood to be a perfect woman. However, after her rape she decides that she needs to discover her own identity for herself.

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Esperanza is often humiliated not only by where she lives, but also by her physical appearance, hence causing a restriction in her climb to a higher social class. Esperanza is frequently ashamed of her family’s broken-down house in an urban, poor

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You live there? She responded. You live there? The way she said it, made me feel like nothing". This quote reinforces the fact of how apprehensive and shameful Esperanza is during the beginning of the story, where one can clearly see the state of insecurity of Esperanza.

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In Mexican American society , women are deemed inferior to men, evident in traditional family roles, the male is the head of the family who provides for the family , while the woman stays at home to look after the children she is expected to provide for her husband . In the third vignette of ‘The House on Mango Street’ titled ‘Boys and Girls’ the reader is informed of the division between men and women when Esperanza refers to herself and her sister Nenny , and her brothers, “They’ve got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside they can’t be seen talking to girls”. The male dominance begins at a very young age.

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“In the meantime they’ll just have to move a little farther north from Mango Street, a little farther away every time people like us keep moving in (Cisneros 13).” This quote is a significant part of the story because it shows how Esperanza truly feels about herself and her family. She thinks that because she is poor and lives and a bad neighborhood people move away from her family. Esperanza doesn’t think very much of her or her family at all. She thinks that it is because of their race that people do not want to be near them.

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However, Esperanza’s negative view of herself slowly changes as she begins to focus on her larger community and her place within it. Through this, Cisneros shows that knowing and accepting where we have come from is an important part of growing up and determining who we are. In the beginning of

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Gender Equality is the only way forward. What is gender equality? Gender equality is achieved when all genders enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making, and when the different behaviors, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and favored.

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