The Monkey Garden By Sandra Cisneros

Not everyone can be good at everything, flaws and strengths are a part of human nature. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cineros breaks down parts of the young teen Ezperanza’s life in a series of vignettes. In the vignette,“The Monkey Garden,” Cisneros characterizes Esperanza as someone whose mature and creative observations about people contrast with her lack of social understanding.
Cisneros’s use of contrast shows that Esperanza is observant of people, even if she often doesn't understand the reason behind their actions. In the vignette, “The Monkey Garden,” Esperanza watches as her friend Sally makes a deal to kiss boys to get her keys back. Ezperana was uncomfortable with “Sally going into the garden with Tito’s buddies,” even though the boys and

In this vignette, short sentences are used to show Esperanza’s confusion with social situations: “They were laughing. She was too. It was a joke I didn't get” (96). The author's use of nondescript, short sentences cause the reader to feel the loneliness of Esperanza because she doesn't understand other people her age. However, Ezperana’s creative observations are written in longer, descriptive sentences to show her intelligence. After Sally tells Ezperana to go home, Ezperanza feels embarrassed and hides herself in the garden: “I read somewhere in India there are priests who can will their heart to stop beating. I wanted my blood to stop, my heart to quit its pumping” (97). Most children, when coping with suicidal thoughts do not relate it to things they read. Esperanza is both different in the way she interacts with people and the way she makes creative connections and observations. The use of longer sentences shows that Ezperana is confident about the topic, unlike how she interacted with