Home Vs. Opportunity: The House On Mango Street

When given opportunities, we must either take them and the challenges that come with them or stay at home with comfort. This is a theme known as Home v.s. Opportunity. It exposes the character to a dilemma to will render the future of said character. The choice of staying home against taking an opportunity is the main decision that has to be made. Each has its own pros and cons, but a decision has to be made. This theme is emphasized in 3 texts: I’m Coming Home by Lebron James; The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros; and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. These texts share the theme of Home v.s. Opportunity, however, the protagonists have different views as to what to do to overcome this challenge. Some

She felt confined in her community, there was no hope for people. They did not believe that there would be any opportunities that could be found there. That was a reason that she wanted to leave - there were no opportunities. The people there had no ambition to do anything or follow their dreams. She dreamt that “One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye. To mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever.” (Cisneros, 110). She wanted to leave and she knew she could do it. She wanted to go to college, referring to the “bags of books and paper” emphasizing the need for a better educating, similar to that of Junior. Her community can’t hold her down. She knows that there will be no opportunities to come if she chooses to stay at home rather than to leave, and she picks to leave. She decides to “come back. For the ones I left behind, For the ones who cannot out.” (Cisneros, 110). Her decision to come back and help the people that could not leave made the community an overall better place. It brought a sense of hope and opportunistic thinking to her hometown. This was the same decision as made from Lebron James facing the predicament of Home v.s.