The Role Of Esperanza In The House On Mango Street

Sometimes you have to realize what you have already before wanting more. The Vignettes The House on Mango Street and Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes from the novel The House on Mango Street, both discuss a time of advent and a time of parting. A girl named Esperanza had just moved away from a living situation which she thought was horrible. Esperanza felt her new house, while nicer, was still not as nice as she thought it it would be and embarrassing. Throughout her life, Esperanza had moved from place to place not feeling happy. Esperanza cannot keep her mind off what other people think of her. She felt better about her house when she first moved to Mango Street but that feeling quickly evaporated. In Sandra Cisneros’ novel, The House on Mango

“The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don't have to… be careful not to make too much noise.... But even so, it’s not the house we thought we’d get” (3, The House on Mango Street). Here Esperanza is very excited about her new house but when she actually looked at the house, she was disappointed. Esperanza was expecting too much of her family and what they could afford. Her family only got to this house because her father won money with a lottery ticket. Her family had most recently been living in a run down apartment with bursting pipes. Esperanza was imagining what her family’s new house would look like. In her imagination, Esperanza thought too much of what her house would be. She expected it to be big and lavish but it turned out to be smaller and old. She was too quick to assume everything would be better just because her family got more money. Esperanza should’ve been happy she even got a better house. Her former living situation was a horrible and she should have been more appreciative of the major upgrade she got. “You live there?... The way she said it made me feel like nothing” (5, The House on Mango Street). Esperanza let other people dictate for her how she views her situation. Esperanza interprets this discussion about her old house as the nun feeling bad about Esperanza’s situation. After this encounter, Esperanza was going to make sure she got

“I am going to tell you a story about a girl who didn’t want to belong” (109, Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes). Ever since Esperanza arrived on Mango Street, she wanted to leave. She wanted something better, something that would make her happier. What Esperanza didn’t realize is that she had good times on Mango Street. She met many friends with whom she had great relationships. She learned a lot from watching other people live on Mango Street. Esperanza may not have wanted to belong, but she should not have taken for granted her experiences and friends on Mango Street. Esperanza formed so many thoughts and opinions about things on Mango Street. She knew that when she grew up she didn’t just want to settle down and marry right away like other people she watched. Esperanza should not forget the things she learned and what helped her to learn them. “I am too strong for her to keep me here forever… They will not know I have gone away to come back” (110, Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes). This quote shows how Esperanza is finally learning that she has to come back to Mango Street at some point. Esperanza realized Mango Street made her stronger. Her whole life she listened to other people tell her things about her life and now she is taking control of her life into her own hands. Esperanza is now too strong for Mango Street to keep her down. Esperanza knows the