The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, is a coming of age novella. Written in 1984, it centers around a young latina girl named Esperanza Cordero who is poor and has to live in Chicago. She hates the area she lives in because it is run-down, dangerous, and the opposite of her dream house. As the book progresses, so does her age and knowledge about the outside world. Her experiences on Mango Street change her personality and outlook on life. Esperanza’s identity as a smart, strong, independent woman is shaped by the men of Mango Street because being sexually harassed shows her the reality of how people are in this world.
Maturity brings both good and bad things. For Esperanza, adulthood brings several bad experiences. In the vignette “The Family of Little Feet,” Esperanza and the girls put on high heels for the first time. The shoes resemble adulthood, and when the girls put them on, they instantly feel older and powerful. The girls love the feeling at first, but as they strut around town, a few men comment on them, and their shoes begin to make them feel uncomfortable. For example, a drunk bum man calls them over and asks Rachel to kiss him for a dollar, and a boy asks the girls to take him to heaven. After this, Esperanza says, “We are tired of being beautiful”(42), and when Lucy’s mother throws
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They may assert that because if it weren’t for her parents being poor, she wouldn't have to live in Mango Street and experience those horrible things. However, the men had a bigger impact on her because it changed her personality whereas if her parents were rich, the only thing different about Esperanza would be the amount of money she has and the type of home she lives in. Even if her parents were wealthy, it is possible that Esperanza may still be harassed by men because Cisneros is trying to explain the fact that men see women as sexual