In House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza grows up in a society in Chicago, Illinois where she is unwelcomed because of her race, gender, and poverty. While in the story Night, Elie is affected greatly by his environment living in concentration camps in World War II. In both novels, the main characters grow emotionally and mentally from the challenges they are faced. As they are characterized as innocent in the beginning of each story, their maturity process is caused by their horrible experiences which result in loss of innocence. Eventually, they find hope for happiness within their tragic experiences and then mature.
In Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street,” the chapter, The Monkey Garden, describes Esperanza playing in the garden with Sally and a few of the boys when things take a turn Esperanza is uncomfortable with. At times, Esperanza is naïve and inexperienced, but other times, she exudes an awareness of someone much older. This awareness comes to light multiple times throughout the novel and Sally is often a catalyst of this awareness – this chapter is no exception. The Monkey Garden showcases the dichotomy that lies within Esperanza; the dichotomy of being both innocent and intuitive, both aware and naïve. Esperanza begins this chapter with a keen awareness.
In Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, a young, impoverished girl with Hispanic origin, named Esperanza adapts to her new life in Chicago, on Mango Street. Throughout her time living on Mango Street Esperanza observes how other people are living around her, especially women and young girls like her. Esperanza has a variety of female role models in her life. Many are trapped in abusive relationships, waiting for others to change their lives. Some are actively trying to change things on their own.
The House on Mango Street is like a prison everyone wants to leave. Escape. But there is always something getting in the way. The House on Mango Street written by Sandra Cisneros is about a girl named Esperanza who grew up in poverty but as much as she tries to not let it define her the older she gets the harder it gets. She is faced with many physical appearance problems and poverty.
The House on Mango Street is a touching and timeless tale told in short vignettes. It tells the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago. Her life, and the lives of the people around her, are laid bare to the readers in this touching novella. In the beginning, Esperanza is not accepting of herself. Her family’s poor financial situation, the sadness of the people around her, and the problems she faces in her daily life make her very cynical.
Thomas Jefferson once said,“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” This quote can be taken much deeper, with the understanding that the past is just that, history. Of course history still affects the future today, but people focus more on moving forward rather than dwelling on the past. In Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street” the author illustrates the idea, using her family members’ past, other residents of Mango Street, and Esperanza discovering who she is, that while the past can make up parts of a person, it does not have to be their whole identity.
In the series of vignettes The House on Mango Street, the author Sandra Cisneros details the life of main character Esperanza, a young girl living in a barrio of Chicago. As Esperanza tells the reader about her experiences in her day to day life, the reader hears about her struggles and dreams, her hopes and expectations in life and how these affect her. Being a young girl, Esperanza holds naivety and hope for the world, not having experienced many mature situations or society yet, and since she is going through the time in her life when she begins experiencing these issues, we see her heartbreak and the world she knew shatter. For example, when Esperanza and her family move to Mango Street, as our story kicks off, her parents would often talk about the life that they would get when they win the lottery, like having “A real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn't have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked.
Living in today’s world can be a struggle, not everyone easily fits in. Part of being someone in today’s society is knowing who made people who they are and understanding where they come from. Esperanza, the main character in the book The House On Mango Street faces problems understanding who she is. Esperanza faces problems with accepting her identity of who she is and where she comes from.
The House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age novel by Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros. It deals with a young Latina girl, Esperanza Cordero and her life. She grows up in Chicago with Chicanos and Puerto Ricans. It is a 1984 coming of age novel. The novel has become a New York Times Bestseller and also been adapted into a stage play by Tanya Saracho.
Through Esperanza, the protagonist of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, we see life in a poor, working-class neighborhood in Chicago. As a character, Esperanza is characterized by her longing for a better life, her desire for independence, and her sense of self-awareness. Despite their similar struggles and aspirations, the other women in the novella approach these challenges differently, illustrating the diversity in their community. The character of Esperanza is complex, as she struggles with questions of identity and self-expression. In spite of her gender, ethnicity, and social class limitations, she refuses to let them define her.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a story about a young Hispanic girl’s experiences growing up in Chicago. This girl’s name is Esperanza, and her personality is shown through her interactions with people in her neighborhood. This is not the white picket fence area she dreamed about. It is a rough neighborhood. Esperanza has a rough life.
The House on Mango Street is set in a poor, primarily Hispanic neighborhood. Author Sandra Cisneros creates an atypical, yet easily digestible world for the reader to experience while learning about Esperanza’s childhood. The culture of her environment influences Esperanza’s development as she becomes a young woman, and contributes to the book’s driving theme of self-empowerment. Mango Street is the source of Esperanza’s growth through her childhood, and it hides sadness and longing underneath stereotypes of Hispanic people. The characters that live in the broken-down neighborhood all seem to represent pigeonholed views of Latino individuals.
Believe it or not, people are not entirely unique. It is certain that no one is truly the same as another person, but it would not be ridiculous to think that everyone does in fact share many similarities. After all, the majority of the population grows and develops opinions or values based on what they see or hear. For Esperanza, the protagonist of Sandra Cisneros’s, The House on Mango Street, the perspective she has is built upon her childhood on Mango Street. This coming-of-age novel illustrates how Esperanza’s experiences on Mango Street play an important role during her period of growth.
In the House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza suffers with insecurities within herself and her race. Racism has always been an issue in all different types of races no matter the location and no matter the circumstances. Anyone who would come into Esperanza’s community would be frightened because of their
Culturally Relevant Books and Contributions Sandra Cisneros has written many different stories and poems. From her written work, there are books that are culturally relevant to the Mexican American culture. Her book, The House on Mango Street, is about a Latina girl living in Chicago. The book is about the young girl’s quest for a better life. The book is made up of short stories told by Esperanza Cordero, the main character and narrator of the book.
