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The House On Mango Street Literary Analysis

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All people on this Earth have goals that they long for. For many people, their family or community may vastly affect if they can continue their dreams. In Sandra Cisneros’s novella, The House on Mango Street, Cisneros conveys the theme of longing by having many characters who were burdened with issues early on in their lives, especially with the women who were forced to have fewer opportunities with their lives.
Cisneros first brings up longing very early on in the novella when Esperanza talks about the origin of her name along with the story of her great grandparents. “My Name”, mentions how it is supposedly bad luck to be born in the Chinese year of the horse if you are a female, but Esperanza disagrees as she thinks, “this is a Chinese lie …show more content…

When Esperanza receives a palm reading and makes a wish by the three sisters, she is told, “When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can't erase what you know. You can't forget who you are.” (Cisneros 105) This implies that Esperanza wished for something of her own gain, something similar to her leaving Mango Street and moving on from it. As much as she wants to deny it, Esperanza needs to stay true to her word and help the people who can’t leave as easily as her. Furthermore, Esperanza’s main goal in life is to have a house all to her own,“Not a flat. Not an apartment in back. Not a man's house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own.” (Cisneros 108) Cisneros conveys Esperanza’s mentality on how she wants to have her own life that isn’t guided and owned by a man. Esperanza has seen many other women on Mango Street be controlled and manipulated by a man, and she won’t let herself fall for that. This perfectly wraps up Esperanza’s character and growth throughout the vignettes, as she gains the mental strength to be different from the

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