Home Vs. Opportunity: The House On Mango Street

Numerous people stumble upon obstacles, but only a few can overcome them. Most obstacles are influenced by the values of the society. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel Meminger overcomes her lack of education and her different beliefs on Jewish people. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet both overcome the obstacle of not being able to be together because of the feud between their families. In “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza overcomes the obstacle of not fitting into her society because of her lack of money. Liesel Meminger, Romeo and Juliet, and Esperanza all overcome many big obstacles influenced by their society.

In this essay “Living in Two Worlds” written by Marcus Mabry, I will analyse his split life by examining how his new life is affect poverty, finding a balance and self reliance. The harsh reality is many of his family members were struggling to make ends meet while he was living a modest life because of the scholarship he had received in ninth grade. This affects him from truly enjoying this experiencing considering that during the day his life was satisfying but when he got home this completely changed when he was forced with his reality of living with poverty. As a result of this “Most students who travel between the universe of poverty and affluence during breaks experience similar conditions, as well as the guilt, the helplessness and, sometimes, the embarrassment associated with them. ”(Mabry 100) The previous quote highlights why it

I think they find it necessary to move so often because it has been a dream for the family of six to have a piece of property like the houses shown on TV. The story begins when the family buys a new house on Mango Street. This new house is the first the family has owned and does not fulfill their dream. The house is simply not big enough for the family. Everyone, including Esperanza has to share a room. The smallness of the house, tells us that the family is poor.

There was a man who felt the pain of isolation because he was very opinionated. The majority of the people in his world do not agree with him, making him feel alone and want to escape. Sandra Cisneros’ House On Mango Street, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, all share the unexpected benefit of isolation which leads each character to the discovery of the need for change within themselves or within their societies.

In the essay “The Storyteller”, Sandra Cisneros describes how her identity was shaped by goals that she had for herself. Starting from a young Cisneros dreamt about living in her own silent home that fitted her taste. Years later after coming home from college she still had the dream of living on her own and also with a career goal of becoming a writer. Cisneros determination to follow her dreams was strong, however, her father’s did not agree with the dreams and even had a different idea of what he wanted for her. Even with her father’s wanting her to live at home until marriage, have children or to become a weather woman. Cisneros continues to go after her dream of living on her own. Although Cisneros had conflict with her father’s, she did not let it stop her from reaching those goals that set out for herself in life.

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is a novel that follows a family and its Fukú to and from the Dominican Republic and the United States. The stories involves a potentially non-existent curse called Fukú and its counter called Zafa. There is a loving, overweight, nontraditionally heroic protagonist named Oscar and other equally complex characters like his mother Beli. These characters seem to be continuously facing tragedy and negativity related to their appearance, particularly their skin color. In the end Fuku is left as an open-ended belief, Oscar ends up a hero in the eyes of the narrator, and Beli learns you cannot run from problems. This novel address how symbolic meanings do not necessarily equate to truth by opposes

“It is estimated that over 40% of us will feel the aching pangs of loneliness sometime in our life”. This is stated in an article from Physocologytoday.com. The alienation that many people feel are not always physical, but also emotional and mental. A character from the novel Of Mice and Men that is emotionally unstable is Lennie. He’s always surrounded by George but when he isn’t he’s lost and alone. In the book The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is a character that undergoes physical desolation. Esperanza, Crooks, Curley’s Wife and Some women on Mango Street are all examples of how loneliness is one of the many struggles characters in both The House on Mango Street and Of Mice of Men endure.

Many people are undermined by the drawbacks of belonging to a low socioeconomic status. In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is raised in a poor, Latino community, causing her to be introduced to poverty at an early age. This introduction of poverty affects Esperanza in many ways, one including that she is unable to find success. Esperanza struggles to achieve success in life because the cycle of poverty restricts her in a position in which she cannot break free from her socioeconomic status.

In the House on Mango Street, a novel by Sandra Cisneros, she suggests the notion that hopes and dreams can be obtained even when people are at the bottom of the totem pole as seen in Esperanza’s desire to live in a better place and find friends.

Society defines home as “a house, apartment, or other shelter. It is the usual residence of a person, family, or household” (“Home”). In The Glass Castle, Jeannette’s definition of home suggests that it is a place for friends, comfort, love, happiness, and financial security. However, home is a complicated topic that can be interpreted in many ways. The Glass Castle clearly describes the pessimistic attributes of home, such as a lack of support and poor parenting. However, the positive attributes of home outweigh it’s negatives in its definition; therefore home is a place where individuals feel secure financially and emotionally.

In life,people work for one thing,freedom.the main character in the house on mango street proves this statement,throughout the book she has earned for a home of her own and to be rid of mango street,"One day I will say goodbye to mango.I am too strong for her to keep me here forever.One day i will go away ."pg.101, Cisneros portrays this many throughout the book like in this quote "[Mango street]set me free."pg.101.Though,in the book the theme is rarely clear,the evidence is clear that the main theme is freedom vs.entrapment,"I never had a house ,not even a photograph...only one i dream of."pg.107 because many characters have yearned for their own freedom entrapment,and the fact that many times freedom in this book is another entrapment this

Societal expectations are a part of everyone’s life, male or female. From the day people are born, there are roles they are expected to assume-- wife, homemaker, father, provider, mother and many others. While these aren’t necessarily negative, the stigma of not fulfilling these roles can be unpleasant. While the roles we are supposed to choose aren’t always clearly defined, the judgement that comes from choosing to take certain actions in life, like settling down or becoming a mother is palpable. Throughout The House on Mango Street, Esperanza’s view of the world is largely shaped by the people around her, which are her neighbors, family, and friends. These characters influence Esperanza’s choices and her overall viewpoint of life. Sandra

“No, this isn’t my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve lived here (Cisneros 106).” This quote shows Esperanza’s unwillingness of accepting her poor neighbourhood because of the violence and inequality that has happened in it. In the House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros, shows that there is a direct link between inequality, violence and poverty. The House on Mango Street shows women are held back by the inequalities that they face. Cisneros shows that racism prevents individuals from receiving job opportunities which leads to poverty and violence. The House on Mango Street shows that the basis of violence and poverty are social inequality. This social inequality limits lower class from getting employed. The neighbourhood in the novel is impoverished because of the inequality in their society.

The House on Mango Street is set in a poor, primarily Hispanic neighborhood. Author Sandra Cisneros creates an atypical, yet easily digestible world for the reader to experience while learning about Esperanza’s childhood. The culture of her environment influences Esperanza’s development as she becomes a young woman, and contributes to the book’s driving theme of self-empowerment.

“All discomfort comes from suppressing your identity”(Bryant H. McGill). We can not decide upon our own identity; It comes from our hopes, dreams, memories, culture and experiences. We can not suppress or change who we are or where we came from and must except ourselves. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros introduces the main character Esperanza, who is initially ashamed and tries to repress parts of her identity. One of the main themes in The House on Mango Street is E. acknowledging her name and mango street as part of her self identity.