Theme Of The House On Mango Street

Matthew Chavez

Misinco

English 3 Honors

Period 2

July 22, 2023

The House on Mango Street Theme Analysis Sandra Cisneros’ novel The House on Mango Street is a story about the life of a young girl who faces challenges and goes through experiences that help her find her identity. The story used vignetting to create a timeline that does not follow the structure of a common novel. Using vignetting allows the author to explain a story or moment the character faces without having to use a large plot while still providing imagery and great description. The theme in The House on Mango Street is that experiences and people shape the identity of people . This theme is presented throughout the story through the use of conflict. The main character, Esperanza,

an example of this is found while she spends time with her relatives, “And Uncle spins me, and my skinny arms bend the way he taught me, and my mother watches, and my little cousins watch, and the boy who is my cousin by first communion watches, and everyone says, wow, who are those two who dance like in the movies, until I forget that I am wearing only ordinary shoes, brown and white, the kind my mother buys each year for school.”(Cisneros, 47). This example shows how Esperanza shows her true self when around people she’s comfortable with. The author uses this to get the reader to understand that Esperanza is shy and closed off as a young, unaccepted girl and how her family plays a role in her becoming more confident and open. The author included this quote because it’s a relatable event and shows how the family is affective in shaping her

She is the one who drives the men crazy and laughs them all away. Her power is her own.

She will not give it away.” (Cisneros, 88). She dreams of being different from other girls around her after being influenced earlier in life. Now that she had this goal, she’ll do things and change herself to become who she wants to be. The author wants the reader to understand that Esperanza is abnormal compared to the other girls in the novel. This example is included in the book because it shows the reader how Esperanza is influenced and changed based on what she sees and what she goes