Sexism In The House On Mango Street

In the novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the story is developed through the eyes of a young girl Esperanza. She learns about the realities of life in a house that she recently moved into. There are many characters that are written as she learns about her new neighborhood. The three most influential characters in the novel are Sally, her Mother ,and Marin.

One cultural aspect presented in The House on Mango Street is gender roles. Throughout the book, I noticed differences between the roles of men and women in society. There are several similarities and differences between gender roles in the Hispanic culture and my own culture, the Indian culture. By researching and reflecting on the two different cultures, I gained more knowledge on the characters and plotline of The House on Mango Street.

The House on Mango Street is a touching and timeless tale told in short vignettes. It tells the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago. Her life, and the lives of the people around her, are laid bare to the readers in this touching novella. In the beginning, Esperanza is not accepting of herself. Her family’s poor financial situation, the sadness of the people around her, and the problems she faces in her daily life make her very cynical. However, Esperanza’s negative view of herself slowly changes as she begins to focus on her larger community and her place within it. Through this, Cisneros shows that knowing and accepting where we have come from is an important part of growing up and determining who we are.

Though the archetypes Cisneros used in The House on Mango Street, specifically in the female characters, Esperanza learns valuable lessons that construct a newly liberated woman. As Steinem said in her 1999 interview, liberation and power is most impactful when it is taken for oneself. Esperanza took inspiration and lessons from Sally, Mamacita, and Alicia to become empowered. From Sally, the Temptress, she realized that beauty does not transfer to power and the dangers of defining oneself by the male figure in your life. Mamacita’s complacency as the Damsel in Distress showed Esperanza that she must take her life into her own hands and not sit by and wait for someone else to do so. And finally, through her Platonic Ideal, Alicia, she was given an example of liberation, and strong, independent, female

“That’s the problem with the world, too many people grow up.” – Walt Disney. Growing up quickly is a dream for many girls. They will make countless attempts in hopes of becoming a woman faster. In Sandra Cisneros’s, The House on Mango Street, Esperanza becomes one of those girls who spends all of their precious time trying to grow up quickly. Esperanza tries to wear high heels like a woman, tries to have a boyfriend like an older woman, and she tries to get a job like an adult. Esperanza’s longing to grow up quickly causes her to confront the reality of being an adult. Although Esperanza desperately wants to be an adult, she is not prepared for the responsibilities that accompany adulthood; she is unable to successfully make the transition

In Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street,” the chapter, The Monkey Garden, describes Esperanza playing in the garden with Sally and a few of the boys when things take a turn Esperanza is uncomfortable with. At times, Esperanza is naïve and inexperienced, but other times, she exudes an awareness of someone much older. This awareness comes to light multiple times throughout the novel and Sally is often a catalyst of this awareness – this chapter is no exception. The Monkey Garden showcases the dichotomy that lies within Esperanza; the dichotomy of being both innocent and intuitive, both aware and naïve.

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

Role models are an important aspect in Esperanza’s life. For example, In Esperanza’s life Sally is a negative role model. In order for Sally to have freedom from her apprehensive father; she married a man to escape, who will not let her talk to anyone or look out the window (102). This shows Sally is kept, traditional woman that used her sexuality for freedom, unfortunately failed. Sally is a negative effect on Esperanza because she taught sexuality would bring freedom for her; instead it trapped her in a relationship she cannot escape or be independent. In addition, Alicia is a positive role model. Alicia, “inherited her mama’s rolling pin and sleepiness, is young and smart and studies for the first time at the university. This shows

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.

In the book “The House on Mango Street” there are three major characters that influence Esperanzas ambitions for her future, and let her change and grow as a person. People such as Mama, Alicia, and Sally give Esperanza a glimpse of what it takes to have a good life, and how hard you have to work to escape poverty. Esperanza is really ashamed of being poor, and not being able to wear nice clothes, but she soon learns that it does not matter what people think about you, and that her values are more important.

The House on Mango Street is minority literary work written by Sandra Cisneros. The novel tells about a girl named Esperanza who lived in a house on street named Mango. Actually, she desired her own House and not a rent-house when she should share the yard with the people downstairs and pay rent to someone. Through this work, Sandra Cisneros tried to show some problems felt by the main character, Esperanza as minority, whether as Mexican-American or as woman. This paper will analyze the problem of being a woman in Mexican-American community through some characters in the book ‘The House on Mango Street’.

Many people have other people in which they look up to, and often repeat that person’s actions while some of these role models could have something bad going on in their life. In the novela The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros the main character Esperanza looks up to many role models, all of which has something going on in their lives. Esperanza always has the dream of having her own home. Her family moves all of the time, and usually gets a non spacious apartment. While living on Mango Street Esperanza meets many females who turned out to be a role model to Esperanza. Cisnero shows how these role models help Esperanza and all of their struggles in the vignettes “Marin”, “What Sally Said”, and “Alicia and I Talking on Edna’s Steps”. While people may have struggles in their lives but they can still be an effective role model to others.

In the book, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros discussed issues Latina women goes through in daily life. Cisneros talked about their conflicts and how they overcome it. They all represent a role in other people’s lives. Women have a role because they are strong, hard workers, and independent.

In the novella, The House on the Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, we see a young teenager who lives in Chicago that goes through experiences and challenges from friends,family, and neighbors that changes her into a young powerful woman. As a independent woman, Esperanza is greatly shaped by challenges that she faced from her peers.

The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros, informs readers about the hardships and daily life of lower class Latino women from a candid point of view using Esperanza's time as a young girl living on Mango Street. The differences between the life of the men and women are made constantly obvious throughout the book. Esperanza states how most of the women spend their time by their windows, and rarely if ever, leave home. She describes how her great grandmother, who was once "a wild horse of a woman", spent her time after she was forced into marriage, "She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow." From Esperanza’s outside point of view, the women throughout the book are submissive and are stuck in their homes because of their