Symbols In The House On Mango Street
Symbolism is the representation of an abstract concept through the use of a concrete object, and it is a way of bringing subtext to an otherwise one-dimensional story. Several symbols can be found in "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, some of the most central being shoes, women looking out windows, and trees. It is through the use of these symbols that Cisneros creates a coming-of-age story, showing the different aspects of growing up as a young Latina girl.
To begin with, shoes are a recurring symbol in “Mango Street”. In their first appearance in “The Family of Little Feet”, Esperanza and her friends try on high heels and "the men can't take their eyes off" them, implying that they are seen in a more mature light when they wear high heels. One man tells them they are "too young to be wearing shoes like that", which highlights the connection between high heeled shoes and adult femininity. Moreover, in "The Monkey Garden” Esperanza sees the unfairness of being a girl when boys from the neighbourhood make her friend Sally kiss them and no one intervenes. Esperanza looks down at her “feet in their white socks and ugly round
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They are the key symbol of the vignette “Four Skinny Trees” and they represent resilience and perseverance. Esperanza identifies with the trees seen from her window, because they have been “planted by the city” without having had a choice, similar to how she is put on Mango Street without having a say in where she herself would like to be. However, the trees “grew despite concrete”, which symbolises growing through hardships, and Esperanza finds inspiration from them to keep going despite the hardships she faces due to her race and poverty. She realises that she has to break through the prejudice that her social class receives, and continue striving for freedom and a better life in the future no matter what her background is, in the same way the trees “reach and do not forget to
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294 Words | 2 PagesWith this insertion of imagery, it is clear that Esperanza craves a free-spirited life, but she finds herself bout to the shackles that Mango Street brings to her life. Esperanza comparing herself to a balloon indicates how she is metaphorically filled with air,
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287 Words | 2 PagesHouse on Mango Street analysis essay: Hopes and Dreams 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. One way that Sandra Cisneros suggests this theme is when Esperanza feels ashamed of her current house and knows “she has to have a real house. One she can point to and feel proud of (Cisneros 5) Another example is when Esperanza and the nun are talking and the nun asks where Esperanza lives and she is forced to “point to the the third floor, with the paint peeling”
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1134 Words | 5 PagesBelieve it or not, people are not entirely unique. It is certain that no one is truly the same as another person, but it would not be ridiculous to think that everyone does in fact share many similarities. After all, the majority of the population grows and develops opinions or values based on what they see or hear. For Esperanza, the protagonist of Sandra Cisneros’s, The House on Mango Street, the perspective she has is built upon her childhood on Mango Street. This coming-of-age novel illustrates how Esperanza’s experiences on Mango Street play an important role during her period of growth.
The House On Mango Street Shoes Analysis
1240 Words | 5 PagesThe House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a story of a young Mexican girl growing up in the United States. Her name is Esperanza, and the novel takes the reader into her mind and heart as she reminisces about her childhood and what she hoped for in her future. Throughout the novel, Cisneros uses various symbols to highlight the inner conflicts within Esperanza. One of those symbols is shoes. Cisneros uses shoes symbolically throughout the novel to represent parts of Esperanza’s thoughts, emotions, and dreams as she undergoes a transformation from childhood innocence to the realities of adulthood.
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Sexism In The House On Mango Street
1204 Words | 5 PagesMany girls desire a female role model from a young age. The way these women are treated, and deal with this treatment can heavily impact the way young girls view themselves, and their future as well. Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street brings attention to issues of sexism and gender roles. This is done through a series of vignettes about the main character Esperanza navigating life by the example of her many role models. Each role model impacts Esperanza in a special way, Sally who is married at 13, Marin who is waiting to be rescued by a man, and Alicia who is balancing school and home responsibilities.
Change In Esperanza's The House On Mango Street
1095 Words | 5 PagesThe 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.
House On Mango Street Coming Of Age Quotes
1348 Words | 6 PagesThe main protagonist Esperanza, matures from a childish girl to a young confident woman through many critical and life changing events in the story. Ultimately, the author, Sandra Cisneros implements the symbols of confidence, the house on mango street and the metaphor of shoes to show how Esperanza develops into a more mature state. Sandra Cisneros
Beauty In The House On Mango Street
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Windows In The House On Mango Street
640 Words | 3 PagesThroughout The House on Mango Street, characters struggle to actualize their dreams of a meaningful life. Author Sandra Cisneros illustrates this theme through her inclusion of windows as a symbol for a longing of another life. In the novel The House on Mango Street, windows represent the book and it’s theme of struggling for satisfaction in life by acting both as a border to another life and a translucent gateway to the character’s hopes. Windows act as a border to the life the characters long for but are incapable of achieving. Esperanza tells her great-grandmother’s story in which she is whisked away from her previously eventful life only to “[look] out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow” because “she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be” (Cisneros 11).
Poverty In The House On Mango Street
1117 Words | 5 PagesMany 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.
Comparing Bless Me Ultima And The House On Mango Street
1072 Words | 5 PagesEnglish First Semester Final Essay To many readers, the most enjoyable stories are the ones that take place without sorrow, and betrayal. While these are both tragic topics, some pieces of literature are fantastic, while still broaching topics that may be harmful to the characters themselves. In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, the play A Midsummer’s Night Dream by William Shakespeare, and the novella The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, all contain examples of the these specific topics. These pieces of literature all share common themes of family, magic, and betrayal.
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House On Mango Street Culture
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1115 Words | 5 PagesIn the book, The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is portrayed as a young innocent girl that drastically changes over the course of the book. Esperanza is new to mango street and encounters many challenges but also positive experiences that she is able to take away from mango street. In order for Esperanza to transform as a human it was inevitable for her to face the struggles on mango street. As Esperanza matures throughout the novel she experiences three major developments that shape her future through the awakening of maturity, responsibility and her awakening of her interest in poetry.
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