The House on Mango Street: An Essay
1. Introduction
The novel “The House on Mango Street” was written in 1984 by Sandra Cisneros. The book narrates the story of a young girl named Esperanza Cordero while she is growing up in a ghetto in Chicago. Esperanza and her family are Chicano, which is a term used to describe people of Mexican descent who have assimilated into American culture.
The novel follows Esperanza as she struggles to find her place in the world and deals with the many challenges that come with growing up in a poverty-ridden, predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. Throughout the course of the novel, Esperanza matures and comes to better understand herself, her culture, and her place in the world.
“The House on Mango Street” is widely praised for its realistic portrayal of the Chicano experience in America. The novel has been awarded numerous awards, including the American Book Award and the PEN Center USA West Award for Fiction.
2. Summary of the novel
The novel is narrated by Esperanza Cordero, a young Chicana girl growing up in Chicago. The story follows Esperanza as she deals with the various challenges that come with growing up poor and Hispanic in America.
Esperanza’s father was born in Mexico and came to America when he was very young. Her mother was born in America, but her parents are from Mexico as well. Esperanza has an older sister named Cindy, who is married, and a younger brother named Kiki.
The family lives in a small house on Mango Street, which is located in a predominantly Hispanic ghetto in Chicago. The neighborhood is full of rundown houses and is often plagued by crime.
Esperanza does not like living on Mango Street and dreams of one day owning her own house and moving away from the ghetto. She is embarrassed by her family’s home and is ashamed of being poor.
Throughout the course of the novel, Esperanza makes friends with some of her neighbors, including Sally, Rachael, Lucy, and Minerva. She also becomes good friends with a boy named Marcos, who eventually moves away to California.
As she gets older, Esperanza becomes more aware of the problems that come with growing up female and Hispanic in America. She experiences sexism and racism firsthand, and she witnesses violence and other crimes taking place in her neighborhood.
Despite all of the negativity that surrounds her, Esperanza remains hopeful for the future. She eventually learns to embrace her culture and appreciate her life on Mango Street. By the end of the novel, she has made peace with her situation and has decided to stay on Mango Street instead of moving away like she had always planned to do.
3. Themes and symbols in the novel
There are several themes that are explored in “The House on Mango Street.” Some of these themes include poverty, sexism, racism, violence, religion, and friendship.
Poverty is one of the most prominent themes in the novel. Esperanza’s family is very poor, and they live in a rundown house in a ghetto neighborhood. Poverty is something that Esperanza is constantly aware of, and it has a big impact on her life.
Sexism is another important theme in the novel. Esperanza witnesses firsthand the ways in which women are treated unfairly because of their gender. She also experiences sexism herself, and this has a big impact on her view of the world.
Racism is also explored in the novel. Esperanza’s family is Hispanic, and they experience racism both from within their own community and from people outside of their community. Racism is something that Esperanza is constantly aware of, and it affects the way she views herself and her place in the world.
Violence is another theme that is explored in the novel. There is a lot of violence taking place in Esperanza’s neighborhood, and she witnesses many acts of violence throughout the course of the book.
Religion is also explored in “The House on Mango Street.” Religion plays a big role in Esperanza’s life, and it is something that she turns to for comfort during tough times.
Friendship is another important theme in the novel. Esperanza makes friends with several of her neighbors, and these friendships play a big role in her life.
4. Esperanza’s character development
Esperanza Cordero is the main character of the novel, and she goes through a lot of growth and development throughout the course of the story. When the novel begins, Esperanza is an embarrassed by her family’s poverty and ashamed of where she comes from. She dreams of one day moving away from Mango Street and owning her own house.
As she gets older, Esperanza becomes more aware of the problems that come with being poor and Hispanic in America. She witnesses violence and other crimes taking place in her neighborhood, and she experiences sexism and racism firsthand. Despite all of this, Esperanza remains hopeful for the future.
By the end of the novel, Esperanza has made peace with her situation. She has decided to stay on Mango Street instead of moving away, and she has learned to embrace her culture and appreciate her life on Mango Street. Esperanza’s character development throughout the course of the novel is one of its most intriguing aspects.
5. Criticism of the novel
“The House on Mango Street” has been praised by many critics for its realistic portrayal of the Chicano experience in America. However, the novel has also been criticized by some for its portrayal of violence and other negative aspects of Esperanza’s neighborhood.
Despite the criticism, “The House on Mango Street” is widely considered to be an important and powerful novel. It is a classic work of Chicano literature, and it has won numerous awards, including the American Book Award and the PEN Center USA West Award for Fiction.
6. Conclusion
“The House on Mango Street” is a classic novel that tells the story of a young girl named Esperanza Cordero while she is growing up in a ghetto in Chicago. Throughout the course of the novel, Esperanza matures and comes to better understand herself, her culture, and her place in the world. The novel is widely praised for its realistic portrayal of the Chicano experience in America.