House On Mango Street Gender Roles Essay
To Surrender Self Worth for Society
Too often in the community of Mango Street, a women’s independence is compromised for the greater authoritative figure, men. One might even go far as to say that gender roles represent a social construction on Mango Street. The people of the neighborhood grow to learn the ways of those before them, only to carry out the confinement of the women and oppression of the men. What is most appalling is that the women learn to accept their roles as helpless and incapable. In the novel The House on Mango Street, Cisneros uses the motif of gender roles to develop the theme that because women are often inferior to men, they view themselves as less important and must rely on men to determine their role in society.
When
…show more content…
Esperanza recognizes a somewhat better role model in Alicia. However, although Alicia has managed to provide education for herself, her role as the women of the house forces her to come home each night; “Close your eyes and they’ll go away, her father says, or You’re just imagining. And anyway, a woman’s place is sleeping so she can wake up early with the tortilla star, the one that appears early just in time to rise and catch the hind legs hide behind the sink, beneath the four-clawed tub, under the swollen floorboards nobody fixes, in the corner of your eyes” (Cisneros 22). The effect that gender roles have on Alicia’s life is expressed when she explains the imperfections she sees in Mango Street to her father who attempts to convince her otherwise. Her father’s standard, and further, the community's standard of women is too strong for Alicia to counter. As a result, she is never fully able to leave behind the life she does not want for herself. Yet another example of the sense of helplessness the women of Mango Street portray is found as Sally’s character is further developed; “Sally says she likes being married because now she gets to buy her own things when her husband gives her money. She is happy, except sometimes her husband gets angry and once he broke the door where his foot went through, though most
Women In The House On Mango Street
731 Words | 3 PagesWhen taking a deeper look into the messages of The House on Mango Street, it’s clear to see that Sandra Cisneros portrayed the women in this story as confined to their patriarchal culture. You see time and time again the female characters in the story being held up in homes, trying to find a way to escape from their marriages or wishing they could. Some characters even try to escape from their problems by marrying but then end up with just more problems. It seems that many female characters are troubled with abusive relationships and many are wanting it to change, either by other people’s actions or their own. One example of a character who has this problem is Rafaela, the woman who leans out her window all day and asks the kids sometimes
Gender Norms In The House On Mango Street
179 Words | 1 PagesEsperanza, in the House on Mango Street, struggles finding friends because genders norms in society and her responsibilities in her family. In the vignette “Boys and Girls”, Esperanza says,”“My brothers for example. They've got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside they can't be seen talking to girls”(#8). In the quote, Esperanza reveals one reason she doesn’t have friends is because of the gender norm in which boys do not talk to girls in public.
Female Role Models In Mango Street
910 Words | 4 PagesGrowing up as a young female teen came be hard due to the stress and peer pressure of appearance. For teenage girls from immigrant families, it came be very challenging to fit in with the “American way”. Esperanza struggles throughout the book with finding her place in society. She looks to other female role models in her community for guidance, where she finds different results. Most of Esperanza’s female role models on Mango Street have unique stories to tell of their experiences with men on Mango Street.
Sexism In The House On Mango Street
1204 Words | 5 PagesThese problems coming to light through the many women Esperanza looks up to, drive her to rise above her obstacles, and become more than just another poorly treated woman. Despite the variety of girls in the neighborhood, one of Esperanza’s closest friends ends up being Sally, who has moved from one abusive home to the next. Sally’s father was a very strict man and she constantly disobeyed him once out of his sight. Whenever Sally is caught dressing “provocative” or acting “too old” her father decides to teach her a lesson.
Freedom In The House On Mango Street
772 Words | 4 PagesSandra Cisneros, the author of the book The House on the Mango Street, conveys that girls or women do not have as much freedom as guys do, the girls or women are always ruled or controlled by someone mostly male, and they always have to be the one to follow the rules. As Esperanza grows up she observes many girls who are in the conditions that they are not supposed to be in. The girls have no freedom and they are always supposed to listen to the guy in the family. One observation Esperanza observes is that girls are controlled by men all the time and because of listening to men those girls are locked inside. For example as Esperanza says, “And then Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out the window so much, gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at” ( Cisneros # 79 ).
The House On Mango Street Sally Character Analysis
295 Words | 2 PagesThe House on Mango Street recounts many disturbing violent stories. One of the most notorious characters is Sally. She is a beautiful girl who is maltreated by her father. Sally’s conduct is not decorous. She likes to be surrounded by boys and she has a promiscuous attitude (Kuribayashi, and Julie).
The House On Mango Street Identity Analysis
722 Words | 3 Pages“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.
Beauty In The House On Mango Street
893 Words | 4 PagesBeauty is a very powerful and prominent thing. It’s what makes you get out of bed in the mornings and makes the world go round. Despite all that, there are some negatives of it as well. “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros gives a window back in time to a point where a little girl named Esperanza grows up on the streets of Chicago. Through the numerous rapes, abusive relationships, and the absence of respect for women, Cisneros portrays a theme that beauty is a double edged sword through the characters Esperanza and Sally.
Gender Roles In The House On Mango Street
1476 Words | 6 PagesIn Mexican American society , women are deemed inferior to men, evident in traditional family roles, the male is the head of the family who provides for the family , while the woman stays at home to look after the children she is expected to provide for her husband . In the third vignette of ‘The House on Mango Street’ titled ‘Boys and Girls’ the reader is informed of the division between men and women when Esperanza refers to herself and her sister Nenny , and her brothers, “They’ve got plenty to say to me and Nenny inside the house. But outside they can’t be seen talking to girls”. The male dominance begins at a very young age.
Inequality In The House On Mango Street Analysis
1173 Words | 5 Pages“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.
House On Mango Street Culture
437 Words | 2 PagesEsperanza shifts from a follower into a confused individual, allowing her to begin her life as a woman outside of the oppressive nature of Mango Street. The suffocating stereotypes and sad, gloomy traits of the culture surrounding Esperanza contribute to the cultivation of her strong will and ardor. Mango Street opens her eyes to the abusive nature of her environment, and aids her in breaking the chain of corruption by defining and terminating the situation for herself. The neighborhood itself allows Esperanza to
House On Mango Street Freedom Essay
620 Words | 3 PagesThere are many aspects of life which we desire such as materialistic desires and happiness. Among the things that we desire, freedom is the most abstract and indispensable one. In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza, the main character, struggles trying to escape from poverty and getting restricted by men. From Esperanza trying to get out of Mango Street by education, to Esperanza’s mom giving up education, to Sally escaping from her dad by marrying a man, Cisneros suggests that only independence can offer a better life and freedom. Alicia and Esperanza are the only characters in the book who hope to find freedom through writing.
Gender Roles In The House On Mango Street
1067 Words | 5 PagesAccording to The World Bank, “More than 1 in 4 women (26%) aged 15 years and older have suffered violence at the hands of their partners at least once since the age of 15. Applying this percentage to the 2018 population data from World Population Prospects, the WHO estimated that 641 million women have been affected. In The House On Mango Street, many girls are affected negatively by gender roles. Sally is a girl that cares solely about her looks and gets married young to a man that is violent towards her. Similarly, Marin is a teenager who gets married young to a man that also is violent towards her.
Gender Equality In The House On Mango Street
1215 Words | 5 Pages“Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor (Cisneros 9).” This quote shows that Esperanza, the main character of the story, desires for freedom but is unable to get it. Esperanza is the red balloon who is unable to float away and the anchor is the society that she lives in. Esperanza’s rights have been oppressed by her society which prevents her from getting freedom to certain rights. The theme of The House on Mango Street is that everyone should have equality.
How Are Women Oppressed In The House On Mango Street
678 Words | 3 PagesFeminism is a subject appearing in many books. In the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, women are oppressed by patriarchy socially and psychologically in many different instances. These include the abusiveness of fathers and husbands towards girls, dreams of escaping an enclosed world, and the conventional ideologies of women’s roles. One instance where women are oppressed socially occurs in the vignette Marin. Marin, a neighbor of Esperanza’s, though she has a likable personality, is limited in the things she can do simply because of her gender.
More about House On Mango Street Gender Roles Essay
Women In The House On Mango Street
731 Words | 3 PagesGender Norms In The House On Mango Street
179 Words | 1 PagesFemale Role Models In Mango Street
910 Words | 4 PagesSexism In The House On Mango Street
1204 Words | 5 PagesFreedom In The House On Mango Street
772 Words | 4 PagesThe House On Mango Street Sally Character Analysis
295 Words | 2 PagesThe House On Mango Street Identity Analysis
722 Words | 3 PagesBeauty In The House On Mango Street
893 Words | 4 PagesGender Roles In The House On Mango Street
1476 Words | 6 PagesInequality In The House On Mango Street Analysis
1173 Words | 5 PagesHouse On Mango Street Culture
437 Words | 2 PagesHouse On Mango Street Freedom Essay
620 Words | 3 PagesGender Roles In The House On Mango Street
1067 Words | 5 PagesGender Equality In The House On Mango Street
1215 Words | 5 PagesHow Are Women Oppressed In The House On Mango Street
678 Words | 3 Pages