Women In The House On Mango Street By Sandra Cisneros

Growing up in a world full of lies can actually help one realize their true identity and power they posses. In the novella, The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros, the main character, Esperanza, describes her life and ideas. After Esperanza moves to a new, run-down house, she begins to discover a new way of life that differs from her past immature ways. She describes her thoughts and feelings through a series of vignettes. Esperanza has a variety of female role models in her life. Many are trapped in abusive relationships, waiting for others to change their lives. Through Esperanza’s reaction to these women, Cisneros shows the stereotypes women face and Esperanza’s thought process of her wishes in defying those stereotypes and

In the vignette “Hips”, Cisneros focuses on the hardships and stereotypes women are given when Rachel describes hips as being “good frfo holding a baby when you’re cooking” (Cisneros 49). Rachel, Esperanza’s friend says this because hips are a symbol of womanhood. Like most of the population during this time, Rachel believes that housework like cooking and childcare are directly tied to womanhood. Because of these stereotypes, the women in this book feel obligated to follow this path of life. It restricts their creativity, imagination, and dreams. Esperanza, however, does not want to follow the rules. She wants to to be her own person, not the person people tell her she should be. Hearing and learning the stereotypes tied to womanhood inspires Esperanza and helps her realize the power she has within her to go against the rules and the rest of the world and be the person she wants to

Esperanza compares herself to four alike trees that would normally be described as weak and useless inconveniences. However, Esperanza sees their true identity when she says, “Their strength is secret” (Cisneros 74). She also uses the words “ferocious” and “violent” to reveal their strength. When Esperanza describes the trees, she is also describing herself. People have always viewed her as a poor and powerless girl. They do not appreciate the importance of her existence just like how people view the trees as an inconvenience. But underneath her skin, Esperanza has the power to change the world despite how people see her. Esperanza knows that she has so much potential to be the women she wants to be. Although Esperanza may seem small and helpless, she actually has more mental strength than most people living in her