Esperanza’s Perspective “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, is Esperanza’s story that is told in first person by Esperanza herself. Sandra Cisneros uses only one or two pages for each chapter and along the way we learn more about her family, friends, neighborhood and Esperanza herself. In some scenes she uses humor and other scenes sadness, these scenes are in introspection form. The story takes place in a poor Latino neighborhood in Chicago, where Esperanza struggles to find her place. It is a very touching book and has a lot of originality. Esperanza begins telling us about the many times she has moved and her main desire for a larger home and leave Mango St. Her wish to leave Mango St. and a larger home will follow throughout …show more content…
For example, one day Esperanza and her friends are given several pairs of ladies high heeled shoes. With the high heeled shoes and the girls imagination, the girls transform themselves into older ladies. They walk up and down the street. The girls love the attention and stares they are receiving from people. However, when a "bum man" asks Rachel for a kiss in exchange of a dollar, the girls get scared and they all decide to go home. Even though the girls enjoyed the excitement of pretending to be older, they can’t yet deal with the consequences of being women. In a different attempt of Esperanza trying to act grown up, she decides she wants to eat in the "canteen," where children that live too far to go home eat for lunch. Esperanza’s mother does not like the idea, but she later is convinced by her and writes her a note. Later a nun at school who is familiar where Esperanza lives and knows she lives close enough to go home for lunch confronts her. When Esperanza is confronted she breaks down and cries. Many of Esperanza’s attempts to be older always backfire in this way. She imagines herself to be something she isn’t but cannot succeed at that game. Later in the book there is a chapter named “Red Clowns” Esperanza narrates this chapter after she has been sexually assaulted by a group of boys. She gives her impressions and expresses her confusion