The House On Mango Street Setting Analysis

Chicago, a city where select areas act as a harbor for immigrants, is extremely diverse in culture. In The House On Mango Street which is set in Chicago, the setting plays a vital role to the plot. In fact, the whole novel revolves around the setting directly. The story takes place in the poor Latino neighborhoods of Chicago where Esperanza Cordero is growing up. Throughout the story, Esperanza embarks on a journey where she goes from resenting her heritage that confines her to the community she resides in, to learning to embrace her background. Specifically, the setting functions as a means of applying culture to the story and establishing Esperanza’s values. Before realizing the value of one’s place of origin, Esperanza expresses adamantly

For example, it was normal for a girl to get married before or shortly after the eighth grade. Young boys start working for a living at this point to support a wife and a family. Additionally, the men treat the women like property rather than a person. It is common that a man would keep his wife or daughter locked up in the house so she couldn’t run away from him. Women stare out windows, wishing that they were allowed to leave the house. Esperanza accepts this a commonplace, however, she doesn’t want to be like these women. This further attributes as motivation for her desire to abandon her community. In turn, she learns to value her freedom as a woman and to respect herself enough to not let a man keep her locked up like a prisoner.

The seclusion of the small communities she’s always lived in keeps Esperanza naive to the world around her. All she knows is that she wants to experience whatever it is that’s out there. This causes her to value the accumulation of knowledge. Furthermore, since her community is impoverished, she values frugality. For instance, when her neighbor gives her high heeled shoes, she is overwhelmed with excitement of having ownership of shoes that are not simply for everyday