Inequality In The House On Mango Street Analysis

“No, this isn’t my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve lived here (Cisneros 106).” This quote shows Esperanza’s unwillingness of accepting her poor neighbourhood because of the violence and inequality that has happened in it. In the House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros, shows that there is a direct link between inequality, violence and poverty. The House on Mango Street shows women are held back by the inequalities that they face. Cisneros shows that racism prevents individuals from receiving job opportunities which leads to poverty and violence. The House on Mango Street shows that the basis of violence and poverty are social inequality. This social inequality limits lower class from getting employed. The neighbourhood in the novel is impoverished because of the inequality in their society. The House on Mango Street shows that women are sexually abused, not having the opportunity to receive the same amount of education as men and have unequal contributions to the workforce. In our society, gender inequality leads to men having more power than women. This greater power would lead to sexual abuses and those in poverty are more likely to face these abuses. This is evident in the novel. The neighbourhood in the House on Mango

Racism inhibits African Americans from working in the work force. This unemployment leads to poverty because they do not have money to sustain themselves and their family. For some people, they try to break down the obstacle of being oppressed by working hard and starting something of their own. However, due to the oppression, they are poor and have to work in pathetic conditions. In The House on Mango Street, there is an African American man who owns a furniture store, but he does not turn on any light because he cannot afford it (Cisneros