The House On Mango Street By Sandra Cisneros

Esperanza sees many different hardships that women she knows face. She doesn’t entirely understand until she is older, but she sees what these women do or don’t do to survive. Sandra Cisneros shows Esperanza’s point of view on the women her life in many of the vignettes in the book The House on Mango Street. From when Esperanza first moves to her house on Mango Street, to every up and down she faces. Esperanza has a wide range of female role models to show her what and what not to do. 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. Through these women and Esperanza’s reaction to them, Cisneros’ shows not only the hardships women face but also explores their power to overcome them. One female role model that Esperanza has is her grandmother. Esperanza shares many things with her grandmother, like her name, birth year, and personality. Cisneros writes “ In English my name means hope. In Spanish… it means sadness,

Nenny is another woman in Esperanza’s life who is trapped on Mango Street. But unlike the other women, Nenny decided she is going to get away from there by doing something herself. Cisneros writes “Nenny says she won't wait her whole life for a husband to come and get her.” This quote explains that Nenny is not going to wait around for a man to come find her and save her from Mango Street. Nenny is a good female role model for Esperanza because she is taking life and her hands and doing working to get herself out. She sees the choices and mistakes of the other women around them make, and chooses to not make those same choices and mistakes. Even though Nenny doesn’t entirely know what she is going to do to escape, she knows she isn’t going to sit around waiting. Esperanza sees Nenny’s courage and decided to follow in her