Riley Thieme Mrs. Nower Honors English 9 25 Jan 2023 Contrariety The concept of otherness is shown quite often in The House on Mango Street. Esperanza must deal with multiple occasions of being othered by friends, family, and neighbors. The contrariety of it makes Esperanza upset many times growing up. Esperanza grows in the otherness and each time she is othered she learns a lesson. Otherness is shown in many separate times, with its own lesson from it in The House on Mango Street. In one vignette, “Cathy Queen of Cats,” Cathy othering Esperanza shows otherness. Esperanza wanted a friend as she was lonely in her new house. She did not really have friends that stook around because she moved around all the time. She met Cathy and took the chance …show more content…
Esperanza visits the Monkey Garden quite often, it’s a place for her to just be. The Monkey Garden didn’t judge Esperanza like the rest of the World did. Esperanza has realized by now that her being in a lower class makes her face challenges some people don’t deal with. Esperanza has dealt with loneliness, greed, deceptions, lies and struggle. Esperanza doesn’t want to go through these things. Esperanza lays in the Monkey Garden wishing her problems would just go away. “This is where I wanted to die and where I tried once but not even the Monkey Garden would have me.” (Cisneros 96). This day in The Monkey Garden for Esperanza was a turning point for how Esperanza thought about things. How she thoughts about her childhood and how she is being othered by the World. Esperanza is being challenged with depression which is caused from all the things she has been through. The Monkey Garden is just place for Esperanza to just be without having to face any more problems. Her built-up emotions make her feel lonely and mad at the same time. Esperanza wants an escape from this place but doesn’t know quite how to yet. Esperanza realizes after the event of being suicidal in The Monkey Garden that she wants a change. This experience for Esperanza changes her perspective of the thought of being othered. She realizes she is lonely, but she can make a difference on her own. Esperanza wants to face her own challenges and help other people